Liverpool’s turbulent season took another dramatic turn after Mohamed Salah launched a stunning outburst against the club and manager Arne Slot following Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Leeds United at Elland Road.
The Egyptian star was left on the bench for the third time in four Premier League matches, a decision that appears to have pushed him over the edge. Salah, visibly frustrated, hinted at a “conspiracy” against him, claiming he has been “thrown under the bus” by the club he has served for nearly a decade.
“I have done so much for this club, especially last season,” Mohamed Salah said after the match. “Now I’m sitting on the bench and I don’t know why. Someone clearly doesn’t want me here. I was promised certain things in the summer, but those promises haven’t been kept.”
His comments stunned supporters and former players alike. Among those to respond was ex-Liverpool striker Stan Collymore, who offered little sympathy while reminding Salah that no individual is bigger than the club.
“Liverpool is, and always will be, about the club first and last,” Collymore wrote on X. “Mohamed Salah may be one of the greats, but he’s not Messi or Ronaldo — players who could do and say as they pleased. Liverpool doesn’t work like that.”
Collymore went on to defend Slot’s authority, insisting the manager’s decision to drop Salah was justified based on performance, not politics.
The former England international’s comments come amid growing tension inside Anfield. Salah’s public discontent follows Virgil van Dijk’s recent comments urging unity and patience, with the captain saying: “We need him. He’s still a fantastic player and a leader. He’s disappointed, but that’s normal.”
Liverpool’s form, however, continues to spiral. The draw with Leeds means the Reds have now won just four of their last 15 games across all competitions, slipping to ninth place in the Premier League and risking another year outside the Champions League.
Both Mohamed Salah and Van Dijk signed new two-year deals last summer, but with results declining and morale fractured, those extensions now appear more like burdens than blessings for a club searching for its identity under Slot.
