Arne Slot delivers strong message to Liverpool board regarding Mohamed Salah’s contract

Mohamed Salah netted twice as Liverpool came from behind to secure a 3-2 victory over Southampton, extending their lead at the top of the Premier League to eight points. Following the match, Liverpool manager Arne Slot praised Salah for his vital contribution.

Salah, whose contract expires at the end of the season and who has mentioned the absence of contract offers, remains an integral figure for Liverpool. Despite ongoing uncertainty about his future, the 32-year-old delivered once again in the match against Southampton.

After Liverpool trailed 2-1, Salah scored twice to give his team the victory. His first goal came after receiving a pass from Ryan Gravenberch and calmly finishing past goalkeeper Alex McCarthy. Salah then sealed the win with a penalty after Yukinari Sugawara handled the ball inside the box.

Following the match, Slot made a pointed remark about Salah’s importance to the team, emphasizing how crucial the forward is for Liverpool’s success.

“We always know we can trust him when things are difficult for us,” Slot remarked. “After we went 2-1 down, I didn’t really feel that that was the moment we would score.”

He continued, “It was a fantastic pass from Ryan Gravenberch, but the timing of the run and the finish was special. That really helped us back in the game, and we needed that goal to play the last 25 minutes that we played, because for me then it was only a matter of time until we scored.”

Slot expressed satisfaction with the overall performance, noting he was “really happy” with the result. He felt his side “dominated the whole game” and that being 2-1 down after an hour did not reflect the balance of play. “We’re really happy, especially because after an hour we were 2-1 down and maybe that wasn’t a reflection of how the first hour went,” Slot said.

He added, “I think we dominated the whole game, which is not that easy. I’ve seen many Southampton games where they have dominated the game. But if you’re 2-1 down after an hour, you’re maybe over the moon if you win 3-2.”

Slot also acknowledged the difficulty of maintaining their position at the top, explaining, “We know what we have to put into it to get the (eight-point) lead we have at the moment and to get these wins. There have been one or two games that were wins by a big margin, but the rest were small margins, so we know how difficult it is to win a game.”