Arne Slot defended his decision to bench Mo Salah against West Ham, insisting the star remains crucial despite a win that fueled speculation about his Anfield future.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has firmly insisted that Mohamed Salah “remains crucial” to the club’s future, despite dropping the Egyptian star to the bench for Sunday’s 2-0 Premier League win over West Ham United.
According to a report from TEAMtalk, Salah’s role as an unused substitute—the first time he has been omitted from a Liverpool starting XI in the Premier League in 18 months—sparked speculation about the beginning of his eventual exit from Anfield.
Slot, however, offered a detailed explanation for the benching, attributing it to a grueling fixture schedule and tactical necessity.
“Mo has had an unbelievable career and will have a very good future at this club because he’s such a special player. But when you have four games in 10 days, then you have to decide once in a while on a certain lineup,” Slot told the media.
He further explained the tactical decision specific to the opponent: “The way West Ham set up with a full-back that’s constantly high and a winger who’s inside, I thought this would help the team.”
The article suggests, however, that the clean victory achieved without Salah highlighted a “huge new reality” for Slot.
In Salah’s absence, a front four of Cody Gakpo, Florian Wirtz, Dominic Szoboszlai, and Alexander Isak “excelled,” suggesting that “Liverpool can succeed with life beyond Salah,” who is 33 and whose performance levels have been “on the decline” since signing his contract in April.
Salah, who has 250 goals for the club, is expected to be given minutes in the upcoming games against Sunderland and Leeds.