MO SALAH MEETS JORDAN HENDERSON IN LONDON AMID TRANSFER BUZZ AND SLOT CLASH
Mohamed Salah met former captain Jordan Henderson in London, fueling rumours of a January transfer to the Saudi Pro League following his criticism of manager Arne Slot.
Mohamed Salah went to London on Wednesday to talk with his old Liverpool buddy Jordan Henderson, and there's buzz about his future with the club. After being left out of the squad for the Champions League game against Inter Milan, Salah wanted advice from his previous captain, as a possible January transfer is coming up.
The 33-year-old's future at Liverpool is unclear after he criticized Arne Slot in an interview on Saturday. Salah said that his manager threw him under the bus by not putting him in recent matches.
Even so, the club leaders are supporting Slot’s call, and clubs in the Saudi Pro League want Salah when the January transfer period begins. Slot and Salah are set to talk soon before he goes off to play for Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Saudi clubs like Al-Hilal, Al-Qadisah, and Neom are all looking at signing Salah, and US teams San Diego and Chicago Fire are also watching what happens. The three Saudi clubs will no doubt be interested in Salah's trip on Wednesday, with The Sun posting pictures of him meeting Henderson at a restaurant in west London.
Someone saw the ex-teammates having lunch together at Scalini in Chelsea. Both players had face masks and hats on, trying not to be seen, but Salah asking Henderson questions during their 90-minute meal was noticed.
The report says that Salah was asking Henderson about his time playing for Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia. The England midfielder left Liverpool in July 2023 and went to Al-Ettifaq, then managed by Steven Gerrard, for a bad six-month time in the Middle East.
He stayed until January 2024, when his contract ended by agreement, and he came back to the Premier League at Brentford after some time with Ajax. Henderson and Salah were in the same dressing room for six years at Liverpool, and they are still good friends.
It's not known what they talked about, but the meeting is happening at a curious time for Salah, who is thinking about what to do as the January transfer window gets closer. Liverpool seems to be open-minded about his future, since Salah is earning £350,000 a week and has a contract until June 2027.
Because of the money involved, Saudi Arabia is probably where he will go. Liverpool turned down a £150 million offer from Al-Ittihad in September 2023, and the Kingdom has been trying to get Salah ever since.
Pro League boss Omar Mugharbel said on Thursday that “Salah is welcome” in Saudi. Liverpool hasn't said yet if the forward will play in their Premier League game against Brighton on Saturday.
MOHAMED SALAH SET TO LEAVE LIVERPOOL: FENERBAHCE PREPARE STUNNING THREE-YEAR CONTRACT OFFER
After a decade at Anfield, Mohamed Salah's next move is the talk of football. Will he join Messi or stay in European leagues?
Mohamed Salah looks set to leave Liverpool this summer, and it sounds like he wants to stay in Europe. One of the hottest rumours right now is about Fenerbahçe; they’re ready to offer him a three-year deal worth around £52 million. That’s a huge pay packet, but probably not as big as what he’d get in Saudi Arabia.
Salah’s been on Merseyside for almost a decade, and it’s hard to overstate just how much he’s done for Liverpool. Since joining in 2017 with Jurgen Klopp in charge, he’s picked up two Premier League titles, a Champions League medal, an FA Cup, and two League Cups. Pretty impressive, honestly. But this season hasn’t gone his way, and new boss Arne Slot dropped him for a few games after his form dipped. When Salah announced in March that he’d be leaving, people started up with transfer rumours right away.
In recent years, clubs from the Saudi Pro League have shown considerable interest. Last year, Al Ittihad went as far as slapping a £150 million offer on the table, but Liverpool turned it down.
Now the story goes that Salah wants to stay in Europe even though he’d pocket way more in Saudi Arabia. Reports out of Egypt claim Fenerbahce, managed by Jose Mourinho’s old club, have already sat down with Salah’s agent. They apparently laid out their big plans, offering £17.3 million a year with a three-year contract, and they want to build the team around him to end their league title drought stretching back to 2014.
There’s also talk of Real Madrid getting involved. Still, their transfer policy usually steers clear of handing massive contracts to players pushing the end of their careers, even superstars like Salah. Clubs in Italy, like Roma, Juventus, and Inter Milan, are keeping tabs on him too. And just to make things more interesting, someone floated the idea of Salah joining up with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami in the MLS, though the league's salary cap throws a wrench into that.
At this point, everybody’s watching Salah’s next move; the only certainty is that he won’t be short of offers when he finally says goodbye to Liverpool.
WHY IS LIVERPOOL HESITATING TO HIRE XABI ALONSO DESPITE OVERWHELMING FAN SUPPORT?
Liverpool has contacted Real Madrid to investigate Xabi Alonso’s tenure, as pressure grows on current manager Arne Slot at Anfield.
Liverpool have reached out to Real Madrid to ask about Xabi Alonso, but honestly, there’s some debate going on behind the scenes. People have been talking about Alonso stepping in at Anfield, especially since Arne Slot’s season hasn’t gone over well. Fans let out some boos after that 1-1 draw with Chelsea, and the mood is pretty tense. Even though Slot led Liverpool to a league title last year, quite a few supporters seem fed up with him and would rather see Alonso take charge.
But Spanish outlet AS says Liverpool have contacted Real Madrid to get the inside scoop on what happened during Alonso’s time at the club. It sounds like the decision-makers at Liverpool are starting to feel unsure about him, and they might actually stick with Slot for another season.
Alonso landed the Real Madrid job last summer after doing wonders at Bayer Leverkusen. Still, just six months in, Madrid let him go, reportedly because the locker room was falling apart. Liverpool’s relationship with Real Madrid is strong, and they apparently want some honest feedback – kind of like asking for a reference from a past employer, which isn’t unusual.
Liverpool’s spot in next year’s Champions League is almost locked in, but with two games left, it’s not guaranteed yet. When asked about the boos, Slot admitted he has some work to do to win fans over.
He said, “Not this season. Fans won’t change their minds now. But if we get the summer we’re planning, I’m convinced we’ll be a different team next season. Results, style, everything. It’s not always easy, though. Sometimes you know what needs fixing, but getting what you want isn’t so simple. This season, it’s been pretty clear what we’re missing. We’re trying to solve it, but one issue is simply having enough fit players. Still, our guys show every week in the second half that they’re giving everything they’ve got.”