A fragile peace at Anfield
Mohamed Salah will be part of Liverpool's squad when Brighton visit Anfield on Saturday. That sentence, unremarkable a month ago, now carries the weight of a week that exposed the fractures inside English soccer's defending champions. The Egyptian legend's return comes after what club sources described as 'positive discussions' with Arne Slot on Friday morning—a carefully choreographed reconciliation that resolved nothing while preventing everything from collapsing entirely.
This will be Salah's last Liverpool appearance before departing for Africa Cup of Nations duty with Egypt. Whether it will be his last Liverpool appearance ever remains genuinely unclear.
The week that broke the silence
The sequence matters. Last Saturday, Salah sat on the bench for the third consecutive Premier League match as Liverpool surrendered a lead in a 3-3 draw at Leeds. Then came the interview—not the polished media training variety, but raw frustration channeled directly at his employer.
Salah told reporters he had been 'thrown under the bus' as an excuse for Liverpool's poor form. He claimed his previously good relationship with Slot had 'disappeared.' He suggested 'someone' at Liverpool wanted him gone. And then, the line that echoed through the week: 'I'm going to enjoy that game because I don't know what is going to happen now. I will be at Anfield to say goodbye to the fans.'
Liverpool's response was immediate. Salah was excluded from the traveling squad for Tuesday's Champions League trip to Inter Milan. While his teammates secured a 1-0 win at the San Siro through Dominik Szoboszlai's 88th-minute penalty, Salah posted an Instagram photo of himself training alone in the gym at Liverpool's training ground. The image said more than any press release could.
The Friday conversation
At his pre-match press conference on Friday morning, Slot walked the finest of lines. Asked directly whether he wanted Salah to stay, he offered: 'I have no reasons not wanting him to stay.' The double negative was telling—not a declaration of desire, but an absence of objection.
Slot confirmed he would speak to Salah later that morning, and that the outcome would determine the Egyptian's involvement against Brighton. 'What I need is a conversation with him,' Slot said. 'The next time I speak about Mo should be with him and not in here.'
The conversation happened. Sources describe it as 'positive,' though notably not as a resolution. By Friday evening, confirmation arrived: Salah would be in the squad. Whether he starts, sits on the bench, or plays any meaningful role remains Slot's decision alone—a point the Dutchman has emphasized repeatedly.
Why now, why this way
Sky Sports' Kaveh Solhekol offered perhaps the most honest assessment: 'I think we've got a peace deal, but I'm not sure how long this peace deal is going to last.'
The timing matters. Salah departs for AFCON on Monday, joining Egypt's squad for a tournament that could keep him away until late January if the Pharaohs reach the final on January 18. That absence creates natural breathing room—weeks for representatives to negotiate, for emotions to cool, for Liverpool to discover whether they can function without their all-time third-highest scorer.
There's also the practical football consideration. Cody Gakpo is injured—out for several weeks according to Slot. Federico Chiesa missed the Inter trip through illness. Liverpool's attacking options have thinned precisely when the schedule demands depth. Recalling Salah may be as much about necessity as reconciliation.
But Solhekol's reading cuts deeper: 'The reason I say Slot's doing it for the best interests of Liverpool is, I think if he was just thinking about himself and his authority, he would think that Salah doesn't deserve to be back in the squad. But he's thinking about the team and the club.'
The numbers behind the noise
Lost in the drama is the football reality that created it. Liverpool have just 23 points from 15 Premier League matches—the worst start by a reigning champion since Leicester City in 2016-17. They've conceded 24 goals already, on pace to challenge some of the club's worst defensive seasons. In 2025 alone, Liverpool have shipped 48 goals in 35 Premier League matches. Only twice in history have they conceded 50 or more in a calendar year.
Salah's own numbers tell a complicated story. Since his £400,000-per-week contract extension in April, he has five goals in 19 appearances across all competitions—a stark decline from the 29 goals and 18 assists of last season. His shots per 90 minutes (2.6), shots on target per 90 (0.8), and touches in the opposition box (7.3) are all career lows at Liverpool. Slot's decision to bench him wasn't arbitrary cruelty; it was a response to declining output.
Yet Salah remains Salah. Against Brighton specifically, he has 10 goals and seven assists in 18 appearances—a record of dominance that statistics alone don't capture. The intangibles—the fear he generates in defenders, the space he creates for teammates, the moments when games pivot on individual brilliance—those don't appear in spreadsheets.
What happens at Anfield
Saturday's match presents its own challenges separate from the Salah saga. Brighton arrive at Anfield level on 23 points with Liverpool, actually ahead on goal difference. Fabian Hürzeler's side have lost just once in their last eight league matches and possess the tactical flexibility to exploit Liverpool's defensive vulnerabilities.
Liverpool haven't won at Anfield in three attempts—two defeats by three-goal margins and one draw. They haven't scored in the first half of any of their last five Premier League matches. The fortress has crumbled.
Whether Salah starts, comes off the bench, or watches from the stands will reveal much about the true state of his relationship with Slot. A starting role suggests genuine reconciliation. A bench appearance maintains the status quo of recent weeks. Anything less feels impossible now—you don't recall a player from exile just to exclude him again.
The January question
What happens after Saturday remains soccer's most compelling subplot. Saudi Arabian clubs—Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr—have monitored Salah for years. Yet January presents complications: Saudi Pro League clubs must self-fund mid-season transfers without additional league support. The financial arithmetic is staggering even by Gulf standards.
Reports suggest Salah hasn't closed the door on remaining in the Premier League, potentially with another English club. The very idea—Liverpool's icon in rival colors—would have been unthinkable months ago. Now it's merely improbable.
Liverpool's hierarchy has its own calculations. Chief executive of football Michael Edwards and sporting director Richard Hughes have been involved in discussions throughout the week. Slot insists lineup decisions remain entirely his, but contract negotiations and transfer strategies operate at a different level.
The goodbye that might not be
Salah invited his family to watch the Brighton match. He spoke of saying goodbye. Now he's back in the squad, and the narrative has shifted from farewell to fragile truce.
The truth is probably simpler and messier than either extreme. Salah is frustrated. Slot is pragmatic. Liverpool need both men to function professionally even if the relationship has frayed. The Africa Cup of Nations offers weeks of separation that might clarify everything—or delay the inevitable.
When Salah walks onto the Anfield pitch Saturday, the reception will tell its own story. These are supporters who've watched him score 250 goals in 420 appearances, who've celebrated two Premier League titles and a Champions League triumph built substantially on his brilliance. They know what he's given. They don't know what comes next.
Neither, it seems, does anyone else.
