Salah hints at Liverpool stay after Slot appointment

Egypt captain Mohamed Salah has hinted he will remain at Liverpool next season after the appointment of Arne Slot as the club’s new manager.

Liverpool rejected a £150m offer from Al-Ittihad for the 31-year-old last September, and the forward has again been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia.

Salah scored 25 goals in 44 games in all competitions this season but the only silverware the Anfield side picked up in Jurgen Klopp’s final campaign in charge was the League Cup.

“We know that trophies are what count and we will do everything possible to make that happen next season,” Salah posted on X., external

“Our fans deserve it and we will fight like hell.”

Salah has one year remaining on his contract at Liverpool and, after Al-Ittihad’s bid was rejected last year, the Saudi Pro League’s director of football Michael Emenalo said the door was not closed to the Egyptian.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Karim Benzema and Riyad Mahrez are among the high-profile players who have moved to Saudi Arabia in the past 18 months.

Salah also posted a message of thanks to Klopp, who guided the Reds to the Champions League and Club World Cup in 2019 and the Premier League title in 2019-20.

“It was great sharing all those trophies and experiences with you over the past seven years,” Salah said.

“I wish you the best of luck for the future and hope we meet again.”

Salah had a public falling-out with Klopp while preparing to come on as a substitute during their draw at West Ham last month, but the German said the argument was “completely resolved” at the start of May.

Liverpool finished third in the Premier League this season, nine points behind champions Manchester City, and Salah’s tally of 18 league goals was his lowest since joining from Roma in 2017.

Analysis from Emad Abdeljalil, BBC Arabic in Cairo

After the era of Jurgen Klopp, there is a lot of speculation that Mohamed Salah will not stay at Liverpool, but he has said he wants to win trophies with the Reds.

I think Salah will stay at Liverpool because he has achieved a lot with the team and has become one of the biggest names in the history of the club. People here in Egypt support him and think he should stay.

Salah will hope that the team will recover and sign some good players under new manager Arne Slot.

If he is not comfortable with the new coach, he could go to Saudi Arabia in January if things go wrong.

The league is chasing Premier League stars – but Salah is ahead of the others because it is easy for Egyptians to get visas for Saudi Arabia. A lot of people move there to work or travel for religious trips, meaning there would be many loyal spectators if Salah came. This would make people flock to the stadiums to see him.

Source: bbc.com