Mo Salah: Liverpool leave forward out of squad to face Inter Milan but he avoids disciplinary action over comments
Liverpool believe a brief period away from selection for Mohamed Salah is in the best interests of everyone after explosive interview; Egypt international to leave for AFCON on December 15 after Liverpool's matches against Inter and Brighton which he hinted could be his last for the club
Monday 8 December 2025 19:57, UK
Liverpool have left Mohamed Salah out of Tuesday's Champions League squad to face Inter Milan, but the forward will not face any disciplinary action over his bombshell comments.
His omission comes just two days after he gave an explosive interview following the 3-3 draw with Leeds, claiming he had been "thrown under the bus", had no relationship with boss Arne Slot and that Saturday's match with Brighton could be his final game at Anfield.
The 33-year-old trained on Monday ahead of the Inter Milan match, but has not travelled to Italy.
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"We let him know that he is not travelling. That was the only communication from us to him," confirmed Slot in his pre-Inter press conference.
"Before Saturday, the two of us have spoken a lot. Sometimes longer and sometimes shorter."
Asked to describe his conversation with Salah, Slot replied: "A short one."
Salah started on the bench in Liverpool's last three matches, having been a regular starter and talisman for the Reds since he joined the club in 2017. However, his form has dropped off this season, scoring five goals in his 18 appearances.
'Liverpool hold cards over Salah future'
Sky Sports News' chief correspondent Kaveh Solhekol:
"I'm not so sure he will leave Liverpool in January. He doesn't hold the cards; Liverpool hold the cards. He's still got 18 months left on his contract. Apparently, he earns £400,000 a week.
"Who out there is in a position to pay a big transfer fee for Mo Salah and also to pay his wages?
"For what it's worth, I think Liverpool have made exactly the right decision.
"The bottom line is he challenged the authority of his manager, so Liverpool had to respond. You can't have a situation where a player is calling the shots, where he's going off and giving interviews, claiming that he's been thrown under the bus, when in reality, you could argue that he's throwing the club under the bus. There had to be a reaction from Liverpool.
"They didn't want to go over the top and turn this into an even bigger soap opera than it already is. What they've just said is that he is not going to be involved in this game against Inter. I would expect him to be back for the weekend.
"I don't think he's going to be fined, but they need to send a message out to Mo Salah.
"Part and parcel of being a footballer is that from time to time, you're going to be dropped. And when you're dropped, you have to deal with it. You can't throw your toys out of the pram."
Could Salah move to Saudi Arabia?
Sky Sports News' chief correspondent Kaveh Solhekol:
"Mo Salah and Saudi Arabia has never gone away. Al Hilal have tried to sign him in the past. They made a late bid of £150m a couple of years ago, when he was younger.
"Is there interest in Saudi Arabia for Mo Salah? Of course there is. Especially because Cristiano Ronaldo is getting to the end of his career. They need a new figurehead for the Saudi Pro League. But times have changed in Saudi Arabia. There is not as much money in Saudi Arabian football as there used to be. They are looking at signing younger players.
"So if Mo Salah is just doing this because he wants to join Al Hilal or Al Nassr in January, I don't think it is going to be that easy because the days of Saudi Arabia just putting unlimited cash on the table in front of players are gone.
"Yes, there is interest, but I'm not sure how strong that interest is at the moment.
"And any Saudi clubs who would want to sign him are actually in a stronger position now because he's basically come out and said he wants to go. he's going to say goodbye to the Liverpool fans on Saturday. Anybody who's trying to sign him can go to Liverpool and say, 'look, you've got an unhappy player on your hands. We're willing to take him.'
"But Liverpool are far too smart, far too clever. They're not going to fall for his antics. They're the ones who are in control of this situation, not the player."
What did Salah say on Saturday?
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Salah - who signed a new deal at the end of last season - said: "I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season. Now I'm sitting on the bench and I don't know why.
"It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame.
"I got a lot of promises in the summer and so far I am on the bench for three games so I can't say they keep the promise.
"I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager and all of a sudden, we don't have any relationship. I don't know why, but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn't want me in the club."
Asked if his relationship with Arne Slot had broken down, he said: "Yeah, there's no relationship between us. It was a very good relationship and now all of a sudden there is no relationship."
There was also a suggestion that Saturday's match against Brighton at Anfield could be his last for the club, with the 33-year-old joining up with Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations next week. He has been linked with a January move to the Saudi Pro League.
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"I said to [my family], come to the Brighton game. I don't know if I am going to play or not but I am going to enjoy it. In my head, I'm going to enjoy that game because I don't know what is going to happen now.
"I will be in Anfield to say goodbye to the fans and go the Africa cup. I don't know what is going to happen when I am there."
Asked if it could be his final game for Liverpool, Salah said: "In football, you never know. I don't accept this situation. I have done so much for this club."
Salah's Ronaldo-esque powerplay pits him against Slot at Liverpool
Analysis from Sky Sports' Zinny Boswell:
"Mohamed Salah has given Liverpool a decision to make after revealing he no longer has a relationship with Arne Slot. It is difficult to see a path forward for both star player and head coach now. Whatever happens next, it will be seismic for Liverpool.
"Salah chose to speak out, in a season when he has been largely silent, to deliver a message about his own future at a moment of weakness for Slot, who failed to take the seven points Jamie Carragher said he needed to save his job against West Ham, Sunderland and Leeds.
"Significantly, Slot was the only colleague Salah mentioned by name. Intentional or not, he has made it 'me vs him'. Although, Salah might argue Slot did that himself by forcing him to watch from the bench as Liverpool twice blew a lead at Elland Road.
"One inarguable takeaway from Salah's bombshell interview is that he just wants to play football again, whether that can happen at Liverpool is unclear. Next Saturday's game against Brighton, his last before going to AFCON, could feasibly be his Anfield farewell.
"After this, it's hard to see a world in which he plays next week."
