Mohamed Salah Blasts Arne Slot, Hints at Liverpool Exit After Being “Made the Scapegoat” Following Three Straight Benchings

Analysis by Hikaru Sakamoto

“Unbelievable”—Benched for a Third Straight Match, Mohamed Salah Blasts Arne Slot and Hints at Liverpool Exit

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has publicly voiced his frustration after being left out of the starting XI for the third consecutive match, saying he feels he has been “made the scapegoat” under manager Arne Slot. The comments were reported by The Guardian.

Salah remained on the bench for the entire 90 minutes in Liverpool’s 3–3 draw against Leeds on the 6th. After the match, he didn’t hide his shock:
“Unbelievable… I had to sit on the bench for the full 90 minutes.”

He continued:
“This is the third time now. I think it’s the first time in my career. I’m really, really disappointed. I’ve done so much for this club over the years—especially last season—and now I’m sitting on the bench. I don’t know why.”

■ Salah Suggests a Breakdown in His Relationship With Slot as Frustration Boils Over

Asked about his relationship with manager Arne Slot, Salah revealed that things have changed dramatically:
“I’ve said many times that the relationship was good, but suddenly it feels like it doesn’t exist at all.”

He hinted heavily at a possible departure:
“I was given so many promises, yet here I am benched for three games. You can’t say those promises were kept. I can’t accept this. I don’t understand why this is happening. At any other club, they would protect their player. Now it feels like, ‘Mo is the problem, sacrifice him.’ But I don’t think I’m the problem. I’ve given so much to this club.”

■ “Someone Doesn’t Want Me Here” — Is Salah Preparing for a Liverpool Exit?

Salah went even further, suggesting someone at Liverpool no longer wants him:
“For some reason, I feel like someone doesn’t want me here. I’ve always supported this club. My kids support this club. I love it and will keep supporting it.”

He also revealed he had already warned his mother before the Brighton match next week—possibly his final home game:
“I told my mother yesterday: ‘Come to the Brighton game. I don’t know if I’ll play, but let’s enjoy it.’
I don’t know what will happen next. I might say goodbye to the fans at Anfield and then leave for the Africa Cup of Nations. What happens while I’m away… nobody knows.”

■When Asked Whether the Brighton Match Could Be His Final Game…

When asked directly whether next Saturday’s Brighton match at Anfield could be his final appearance for Liverpool, Salah simply replied:
“You never know what can happen in football. But this situation is unacceptable. I’ve done so much for this club.”

■ “Do You Regret Signing the New Contract?” — Salah’s Response

Salah signed a new contract in April. Asked if he already regrets it, he answered:
“It’s painful, but I would never regret signing for this club. I thought I would finish my career here. But things haven’t gone according to plan. Five months ago, I was winning awards—how did it come to this? Not everyone in the team is playing badly, yet I’m the one who has to defend myself.”

His comments leave the strong impression that Salah’s future at Liverpool is now more uncertain than ever.

The Bigger Picture

This situation did not erupt out of nowhere. Mohamed Salah being benched three matches in a row, followed by him openly stating that he has “no relationship” with Arne Slot, simply brought tensions that had been building all season into the open. The results have been poor, the football has lacked cohesion, and Liverpool have not looked more stable or convincing even without Salah on the pitch. In that context, many supporters see him less as the problem and more as the obvious figure chosen to absorb the blame.

What stands out is not just Salah’s frustration, but how predictably it all unfolded. Slot knew that dropping a club legend of this stature would carry consequences, especially without clear communication or an immediate improvement in performances. Instead, the team continued to struggle, the dressing room reportedly fractured, and Salah’s role shifted abruptly from cornerstone to bystander. For fans, that sudden swing—combined with Slot’s inability to steady results—made the confrontation feel inevitable rather than shocking.

Comparisons to Jürgen Klopp are unavoidable. Klopp managed Salah through difficult moments, substitutions, and emotional reactions without allowing the relationship to collapse publicly. Under Slot, that balance appears to have been lost. As a result, supporters increasingly view this not as a superstar refusing accountability, but as a breakdown in man-management at a moment when leadership was needed most.

Fan Reactions

Liverpool Fans

• It sounded like he was publicly calling out the situation. He basically said he can’t accept what’s happening and doesn’t understand how things ended up like this.
• Salah completely losing control… it feels like this could be the start of a real revolt inside the squad.
• What exactly did Salah say?

• 
  If he heads off to AFCON like this, I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t return as a Liverpool player.
• With comments that direct, it’s hard to imagine him wanting to stay.
• Salah saying he suddenly has “no relationship” with the manager… honestly, everyone kind of saw that coming.
• How can he say he has no idea why this is happening?
  That level of disconnect is surprising.

• He’s not clueless.
  He’s basically saying, “This is the manager’s fault, and everyone knows it.”
  • Slot deserves blame, but ignoring his own drop in form feels like too much.

• It’s a mess. The team is struggling, results are poor, and yet he’s venting publicly because he isn’t starting—despite his numbers this season.
  Honestly, I don’t think many clubs would start Salah right now. He’s barely winning duels.
• There are players with even worse numbers who are still getting minutes.
• Makes you wonder if that “promise” from the club was basically guaranteed playing time.
  He told Norwegian TV that Slot betrayed him and that the club broke their word—and hinted the Brighton match could be his last.
• Given his form, starting him might actually hurt the team.
  But going from regular starter to zero minutes overnight is drastic.
• If the club sold Díaz just to raise funds, they’re probably thinking the same about Salah—sell while his value is still relatively high for his age.
• This is starting to feel like a Gerrard-style ending.
  That kind of exit feels inevitable.
• Once a manager loses the dressing room, it’s over.
  He was too stubborn and already got more time than most would have.
• Slot’s final act might be leaving together with Salah—both exiting at once.
• It feels like Salah is leaving in January.
  Telling his parents to attend the Brighton match because “it might be goodbye” says a lot.
• He might already be lining things up with Saudi clubs.
• With hints of locker-room issues and Salah openly calling out the club, it feels like groundwork for a managerial change.
• Salah is basically telling the club: “Pick him or pick me.”
  The relationship feels beyond repair—and Slot isn’t winning without him either.
• It’s sad imagining a club legend leaving without a proper farewell.
  A messy exit would be the worst outcome.

• New manager, rebuild the relationship, then give him a proper send-off—that’s the right way.

• Moments like this show how well Klopp handled Salah.
  Even when Salah reacted poorly, Klopp still managed the situation.
• Based on recent form, the benching makes sense.
  Defensively he offers little, but he can still hold the ball under pressure—he could’ve helped in tough moments.
• Slot had to know this would explode the moment he benched Salah.
  Doing it anyway shows how desperate things have become.
• The Kop will likely side with Salah.
  Slot isn’t winning even without him.
• Reports say the dressing room is now split, with several senior players no longer backing Slot.
• At this point, it’s clear Salah has become the scapegoat.
• Slot says he used Endo because they were ahead and would’ve used Salah if it stayed level.
  Some decisions make sense, others feel off.
• The squad hasn’t refreshed in years.
  Maybe the cleanest solution is moving on from both Slot and Salah.
• If the team played well and won without Salah, people would accept it.
  But the football is poor and the results are bad—of course pressure is building.
• Hard to believe they were celebrating a title six months ago.
  Now everything feels like it’s collapsing.
• Reading Salah’s comments, it feels like the squad is falling apart internally.
• Salah may be oversharing, but Slot’s man-management has been poor too.
  If you drop a player, at least explain why.
• Even without Salah, conceding three goals to a bottom-table side is alarming.
  The defensive problems run much deeper..

What Remains

What Salah’s comments have revealed is the clear reality of just how severely the situation has deteriorated. Three consecutive benchings, performances that have failed to deliver results, and a team that showed no improvement even after sidelining Salah all point in the same direction. Slot’s Liverpool may be edging dangerously close to collapse.

Leaving last season’s top scorer on the bench while continuing to rely on other players did not bring any visible improvement on the pitch. Without better performances or results to justify that decision, it was never going to be something supporters could accept.

The second issue is the breakdown of trust inside the squad. Reports suggesting a divided dressing room, claims that senior players are no longer backing the manager, and internal matters spilling into the public domain all indicate a failure of communication. Under Jürgen Klopp, Salah’s frustrations were kept behind closed doors. Under Slot, that control appears to have been lost.

What concerns many fans most is how this ends. A quiet separation during AFCON, a discreet sale, or an exit without clarity or closure—none of these outcomes are what Liverpool supporters want. That is why attention is now firmly fixed on what happens next between Salah and Liverpool.

Source:
The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/dec/06/mohamed-salah-arne-slot-liverpool-thrown-under-the-bus?utm_source=chatgpt.com