LIVERPOOL FACE A £100M DECISION AS SAUDI CLUBS PREPARE NEW MO SALAH BIDS
Mohamed Salah’s future at Liverpool is in doubt after a public fallout with Arne Slot. Get the latest on Saudi & Roma interest.
People are telling Mohamed Salah to put any thoughts of leaving Liverpool on hold and make sure he gets the send-off he deserves at Anfield. After Liverpool’s wild 3-3 draw with Leeds United last month, Salah went public—he accused the club of throwing him under the bus and said his relationship with head coach Arne Slot was finished. That interview really shook things up.
Slot left Salah out for the Champions League win over Inter Milan but then brought him back into the squad for Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Brighton. The two of them had a face-to-face talk, and before Salah left to play for Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations, he apologized to his teammates.
Just a few days after that fiery interview, Jamie Carragher, a legend at Anfield, begged Salah to stay until the end of the season. Carragher wants Salah to get a proper goodbye from the fans before, as he expects, Salah leaves in the summer.
Now, David Thompson, who used to play in Liverpool’s midfield, agrees with Carragher. He says, “The whole thing with Slot is strange—nobody saw it coming. At 33, you’ve got to accept spending some time on the bench. I really hope this isn’t Salah’s last game for Liverpool, but honestly, if the Saudi clubs come calling, you can see why Liverpool would listen. He’s still worth a lot, especially in this transfer window.”
Thompson added, “He’s done so much for Liverpool. He deserves a real send-off, a chance for both him and the fans to say goodbye. He’s inspired everyone. Remember last season, when he said the club hadn’t offered him a contract? With the way he was playing, it was obvious the club would have to sort it out.”
He kept going: “There’s been a lot of changes—new system, new style, new players. They defend differently now, and there’s less chaos up front, which is where Salah used to shine. His performances haven’t hit his usual heights, and teams are targeting that side by doubling up on him. But in terms of value and standards, he’s set the bar for everyone else at Liverpool. The rest of the squad has been trying to keep up with him. He’s dragged them up to his level.”
Saudi clubs want Salah, and Sam Allardyce thinks Liverpool will sell if the price is right. On his podcast, Allardyce said, “Don’t kid yourself—if a Saudi club comes in with a good offer, Liverpool will sell him. Loyalty in football doesn’t really exist, not from players and not from clubs. Just look at what happened with Jordan Henderson. Normally, he’d have left for free at the end of his contract, but Liverpool got almost £20 million for him. If the offer is right and you’re looking at the player’s age, the club’s going to say, ‘Thanks, and off you go.’”
LIVERPOOL MOMENTUM: GRAVENBERCH CREDITS ZIDANE’S INFLUENCE FOR HIS DOMINANT 2026 FORM AT ANFIELD
Ryan Gravenberch hails "special" Florian Wirtz! Discover how the $157m man and Gravenberch’s Zidane turns are leading Liverpool.
Ryan Gravenberch can’t say enough good things about playing with Florian Wirtz. The German midfielder has been on fire lately, showing exactly why Liverpool paid $157 million to bring him over from Bayer Leverkusen last summer.
Wirtz always had talent, but lately, you can see he’s stronger and much more comfortable with the pace and pressure of the Premier League. He’s already chalked up six goals and eight assists for the Reds.
“You just see how good he is,” Gravenberch said before Liverpool’s trip to Nottingham Forest this weekend. “He needed a little time to settle in, but now he’s showing what he can do, scoring, setting up goals, and creating chances for everyone around him.”
Gravenberch loves having Wirtz in the team. He calls him a special player, someone who turns games on their head. “You give him the ball, and he makes things happen. Not many midfielders can do that. We work well together, both young, always talking. On the pitch, I’m always looking to find him when I’ve got the ball.”
When it comes to his own inspiration, Gravenberch looked to Zinedine Zidane, even though the French legend retired when he was only four. “I picked up so much just from watching clips of Zidane,” he said. “He played with so much confidence and calm. I love turning in midfield, he did that too, so I try to learn from him and take the good things, but I always want to put my own spin on it.”
Since Arne Slot arrived at Liverpool, Gravenberch has really made the number six role his own. His sharp turns and quick moves help him shake off defenders at Anfield time and time again.
With Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister alongside him and his contract running until 2028, Liverpool will have to start thinking about keeping this midfield together for even longer.
SLOT CONFIRMS: JOE GOMEZ IS "READY TO START" AGAINST NOTTINGHAM FOREST THIS WEEKEND
Arne Slot gives the latest on Liverpool's injury crisis. Discover why Joe Gomez is ready, but Wataru Endo faces a long layoff.
Arne Slot didn’t hold back in his latest press conference. He gave Liverpool fans a full rundown on the injury front before the team heads to Nottingham Forest. With the season getting serious and every point starting to matter more, these updates hit a little harder.
Lately, Liverpool’s defence has looked like a patchwork job. Midfielders filling in at the back, everyone shifting around. Slot talked through all of it, focusing on Jeremie Frimpong, Alexander Isak, Joe Gomez, and Wataru Endo.
First, Frimpong’s still not ready. “Jeremie will not be involved this weekend. We hope he will be involved next week if things go as planned,” Slot said. So, if things go right, he’s not far off, but Forest comes too soon.
Endo’s news stings more. “Wata will be out for a long time. We don’t know exactly how long.” That’s a blow; he’s left a gap in midfield, and now the team has to get creative with the lineup in the middle of a busy stretch.
Now, some good news. Joe Gomez is back. Slot sounded confident: “I think Joe is ready to start [against Forest]. Yes, he is.” After weeks of watching midfielders juggle defensive duties, fans will breathe easier seeing Gomez back in his natural spot.
Since January, guys like Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones have played at right back. It shows Liverpool’s flexibility, sure, but also the toll these injuries have taken. Getting Gomez back isn’t just about plugging a hole. It brings balance. He knows what he’s doing, and that experience matters as the pressure ramps up.
Slot kept praising the players who’ve stepped up, and honestly, they deserve it. But having a real defender back just settles things. It lets everyone else get back to what they do best.
On Alexander Isak, Slot laid out the timeline. “Alex has been on the [training] pitch with his running shoes for the first time this week, so it will still be a while… It will be somewhere around the international break. That depends on whether he has a setback. It’ll be the end of March, start of April when he’s back with the group, but it doesn’t mean he’s ready to start playing straight away.” There’s no rush. Everyone knows how important Isak is, especially after joining with so much expectation. For now, Hugo Ekitike has stepped up front, but as the fixture list gets packed, the team can’t afford to push anyone too hard.
So what’s the big picture? It’s a bit of a mixed bag. Gomez is back, which helps. Frimpong is almost there. Endo’s out for a while, and Isak’s still working his way back. If Liverpool can get through these next few games without more injuries, they’ll start getting key players back just as the season hits its peak. That could make all the difference.