Liverpool have made a decision over a potential farewell gesture for unsettled forward Mohamed Salah ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash against Brighton and Hove Albion.
Salah’s future has dominated the back page headlines this week following his explosive interview after Liverpool’s 3-3 draw against Leeds United on Saturday. The Egypt international, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of the Premier League era, accused the club of 'throwing him under the bus' after being left on the bench for the full 90 minutes by Arne Slot.
Slot left Salah out of the Liverpool squad for Tuesday’s impressive away victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League. Liverpool’s No. 11 reacted by posting a cryptic message on social media.
There’s a strong chance that Salah, who is being linked with clubs in Saudi Arabia and the United States, has already played his final match for Liverpool. TeamTalk reported on Thursday morning that Salah doesn’t feel the need to apologise to anyone involved, including Slot.
If true, it means Salah will almost certainly play no part in Liverpool’s upcoming league match against Brighton. Indeed, TeamTalk say Liverpool have informed Salah’s camp that he’s free to link-up with Egypt earlier than planned for this month’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Liverpool players pose for a team group photo before playing Real Madrid Related
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Liverpool's Decision Over Salah Farewell Gesture
Mohamed Salah
However, if Salah decides to attend the game in an attempt to say goodbye to the Anfield faithful before a potential January transfer, Liverpool have now made a decision over whether their club legend will receive a farewell gesture.
According to The Telegraph, Liverpool have no plans to give Salah a big send-off this weekend, even though it could be his final visit to Anfield before leaving the club following a hugely successful eight-year spell on Merseyside.
However, this isn’t a deliberately harsh decision on Liverpool’s part. The reason they won’t be organising a farewell gesture is because they want to ‘protect any potential future transfer fee’. They don’t want potential suitors to feel that Salah’s time at Liverpool is definitely over.
A big farewell has the potential to weaken Liverpool’s position in any transfer negotiations. This means Salah will be denied the opportunity to say goodbye to Liverpool’s supporters following the Brighton match.
Of course, there’s still an outside chance that this sorry situation will eventually be resolved. However, unless Salah issues a sincere apology to his manager, the world-class forward’s departure will almost certainly be the most likely outcome.