Premier League 2025-26: Liverpool boss Slot says he and Salah have had a turbulent week

Liverpool boss Arne Slot said there were no ongoing issues with Mohamed Salah following the striker’s recent criticism of the club. He said before Saturday’s Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur that the pair had «moved on».

Salah was a key player in the 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend, despite a turbulent week leading up to the match following the Egyptian’s scathing criticism of the club.

“I said last week: actions speak louder than words,” Slot told reporters on Friday. «We’ve moved on, he was in the squad and was the first substitution I made. Now he has AFCON and will play some big games so it’s only fair that all the attention is on them.»

Depending on how far Egypt progresses in the Africa Cup of Nations, Salah could miss seven games from Saturday’s match. Slot’s men are seventh with 26 points, 10 behind leaders Arsenal. Tottenham are four points behind Liverpool in eleventh place.

The Liverpool manager will again be without Cody Gakpo and Joe Gomez on Saturday, but the versatile Dominik Szoboszlai, who was forced to leave with an ankle injury in the closing stages of the game against Brighton, could be involved.

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«Dominik trained for the first time yesterday. We will see where he stands today,» said Slot. “(Whether he could start against Spurs) depends entirely on how well he does today and then we will speak to the player and the medical staff.

«If the player feels comfortable and does everything he has to do, then he will start. Dom would be a starter tomorrow if he is fully fit.»

Striker Gakpo has been sidelined since early December due to a muscle injury that Slot initially said would likely keep him out until mid-January.

“He had a scan that looked promising, so we’re not that worried anymore,” Slot said. “He may come back sooner than expected, but certainly not tomorrow.”

Defender Gomez left last weekend’s game early with a hamstring injury.

“Joe is not in the selection either,” said Slot.

The defending champions have had a poor start to the season but are unbeaten in their last five games in all competitions and will look to maintain the momentum despite missing key players.

“We are getting closer to the team I want us to be,” Slot said. “It has had its ups and downs.

«To me, that makes perfect sense because of the changes we made in the summer, and we made them on purpose because we thought we needed them. You have to adapt, so it takes time.»

Published on December 19, 2025