When Arne Slot replaces Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool in the summer, he will have enormous shoes to fill, and it’s possible that he won’t have Mohamed Salah for his first season in charge. Paul Merson thinks Mohamed Salah won’t be available for Liverpool’s new head coach Arne Slot to work with in the upcoming campaign. After receiving excellent ratings in his present position at Feyenoord, Slot, 45, became the clear favorite to follow Jurgen Klopp when he steps down later this month. It is anticipated that Slot will be officially announced as the Reds’ next manager soon. After leading the team to victory for nine years, including the Premier League and Champions League, Klopp leaves enormous shoes to fill. But Slot will inherit a team that unexpectedly challenged for the title this term.
Salah, who became Liverpool’s talisman under Klopp, is still a mystery, even though Slot will get a chance to make his own impression on the team. The Saudi Pro League made a massive £150 million bid for the Egyptian attacker last summer. When the transfer window reopens, interest is expected to increase again. Merson believes Salah will go before Slot has a chance to become a regular at Anfield.
“I think Mohamed Salah goes to Saudi this summer and Arne Slot will have a tremendous task on his hands to replace the Egyptian’s goals, if he does end up going,” Merson stated in an interview with Sportskeeda. “Jurgen Klopp’s backroom crew and many coaches will also be leaving, so the Dutchman will have his work cut out for him. However, since Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker are the backbone of their defense, they must retain them.
When Slot takes over for his first Premier League game in August of next year, Salah will have less than a year remaining on his three-year contract, which he signed with the Reds back in the summer of 2022. This leaves Liverpool vulnerable. Salah’s future was also a subject of increased speculation following the forward’s intense altercation with Klopp on the touchline during West Ham’s match last month.
It has now been revealed, though, that Salah and Liverpool do not want to part ways in the summer, even in the event that Saudi Arabia or another country makes a high-ball offer.