Will Salah play for Liverpool again?

Summary

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Episode Overview

Podcast: The Athletic FC Podcast
Episode Title: Will Salah play for Liverpool again?
Date: December 8, 2025
Host: Ayo Akinwolere
Panel: Simon Hughes, Adam Crafton, Oli Kay

The episode centers on Mohamed Salah’s explosive public comments after being benched for the third straight Liverpool match, his claims of broken promises and a fractured relationship with new manager Arne Slot, and what this turmoil means for the player, the manager, and Liverpool’s future. The panel explores whether Salah’s time at the club is coming to an end, the role of club leadership, parallels to past superstar exits, and likely next steps.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Salah’s Outburst and Its Significance

[01:39–03:15]

• Salah’s Comments:
  The Egyptian forward, after being benched again following Liverpool’s 3-3 draw with Leeds, accused the club of “throwing [him] under the bus” and breaking promises.

  • Salah (recorded):

    "Seems like a club throw me under the bus. That's how I felt... I think it's very clear that someone wants me to get all the blame. The club promised me in the summer... I'm on the bench three games..." — [02:19]

• Simon Hughes Reaction:

  "It's extraordinary in the sense of the revelations... the talk of broken relationship with the manager being thrown under the bus by the club. Broken promises... These are big claims and it lays naked the state of affairs at Liverpool and how vulnerable the club is at the moment." — Simon Hughes [03:15]

  Simon emphasizes this is dramatic but in keeping with Salah's pattern: he goes public only when feeling particularly aggrieved, usually about himself. Historically, Liverpool kept such issues internal—a sign the club is currently on the back foot.

Is Salah’s Outcry Justified?

[04:41–08:03]

• Adam Crafton:

  "It's very reminiscent of what we've seen over the years from people like Ronaldo and Messi when they don't get the attention that they want as they get older... But if you bench your best paid and most celebrated player three times in a week, it's naive not to expect a reaction." — Adam Crafton [04:51]

• Oli Kay:

  "I have little doubt that he left that dressing room intending to say his piece. He doesn't speak often but when he does, it's calculated." — Oli Kay [06:11]

  Kay notes Salah went from untouchable to being scapegoated rapidly, and despite others outperforming him (Ekitike, Gakpo), he’s earned the expectation of special treatment.

• Simon Hughes:
  The panel agrees Salah’s status warrants a reaction, but also criticizes the public nature and timing of his complaints, suggesting nobody wins in such scenarios:

  "On some issues yes, but on others, no... What is different obviously is that this is now playing out in public... On this occasion Salah has come out and actually told us something we don't know and a lot of people don't like it..." — Simon Hughes [08:03]

The Management Dilemma & Impact on Arne Slot

[17:17–20:19]

• Oli Kay:

  "It puts [Slot] in an extremely difficult situation, not least because of Salah's enormous popularity with the fan base and the fact that Slot's position has already been weakened by a poor run of results. When a player of Salah's stature says there is no relationship, it's very difficult." — Oli Kay [17:30]

• Possible Best Outcomes:

  • Consensus: A break during AFCON may cool tempers, and a return to form post-AFCON is the most positive likely outcome for all parties.
  • Anything else—especially forced exits—risks destabilizing both Slot and the club.

Club Dynamics and Ownership Decisions

[22:19–28:51]

• Who is responsible?
  Discussion centers on whether the “someone” Salah blames is Slot alone, or club executives higher up—suggesting lingering unease between Salah and Liverpool's hierarchy through multiple contract cycles.

• New Club Leadership:

  • Kay and Crafton reflect on the “smartest man in the room” approach of Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes, likening it to the overconfidence and eventual fallout seen at Manchester United with Ronaldo.

• Adam Crafton:

  "They've had so many wins over the years in the transfer market... I wonder whether they just have this feeling they're always going to get it right... but at some point you won't." — Adam Crafton [28:01]

Salah’s Immediate and Long-Term Future

[30:40–38:23]

• AFCON and National Team Pressure:

  • Salah’s time with Egypt will be no respite—he’ll face immense expectation to deliver, as Egypt prizes AFCON titles and he’s never won it.

  "There will be a huge pressure on him there also ahead of the World Cup... that relationship between himself and the national team has not always been easy." — Adam Crafton [30:56]

• Speculation on Transfers and Repair:

  • The panel sees big departures as unlikely right now, noting the lingering possibility of a Saudi move but also Salah’s continuing belief in his top-level status.

  "I genuinely think we're quite far away from [a move]. We're still in the footballer stomping his feet because he wants to play more football phase." — Adam Crafton [35:16]

  • They warn of the dangers of player power shaping managerial decisions, referencing the peril this could pose to Liverpool's stability if not handled delicately.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Salah’s explosive opener:

  "Seems like a club throw me under the bus. That's how I felt... someone wants me to get all the blame." — Mo Salah [02:19]

• Simon Hughes on Liverpool’s internal crisis:

  "It lays naked the state of affairs at Liverpool and how disjointed things are... This is a club... that has been credited over a long period of time of being ahead of things. And it feels like Liverpool are on the back foot at the moment." — Simon Hughes [03:15]

• Adam Crafton on Salah’s media strategy:

  "To me, it seemed more like, I'm grumpy, I'm not playing, I want the world to know this, I want to be playing again... Salah seems like someone who talks publicly when he wants something..." — Adam Crafton [11:00]

• Oli Kay on Slot’s challenge:

  "I can't see a good outcome for Slot in this situation where a player of Salah's stature has come out and basically said they don't have a relationship. It's very difficult." — Oli Kay [17:30]

• Panel consensus on future:

  • Kay:

    "I'll say yes [he plays for Liverpool again]. The murmurs out of the club... it's not being described as a punishment... There will be peace talks. No one's saying Salah's bridge is burnt." — [34:12]

  • Hughes:

    "Yesterday I was finding it hard to see a way back... The messages out of Liverpool this morning seem like the situation's under a bit more control." — Simon Hughes [41:26]

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [02:19] — Salah’s post-match outburst, first-person audio.
• [03:15] — Panelists react to Salah’s comments, context on club-player relations.
• [04:51] — Adam Crafton compares Salah’s reaction to Ronaldo and Messi’s aging-star frustrations.
• [06:11] — Oli Kay: Salah’s statements were premeditated and calculated.
• [08:03] — Simon Hughes on the pros and cons of Salah’s honesty for club and press.
• [17:30] — Oli Kay: The effect of Salah’s comments on Slot’s already fragile position.
• [20:24] — Hughes: Salah's independence, history of internal conflicts, and implications.
• [22:35] — Discussion on responsibility within club leadership — execs or the manager?
• [30:56] — Adam Crafton: Will AFCON be respite or added pressure for Salah?
• [34:12] — Quickfire: Will Salah play for Liverpool again? (Panel predictions)

---

Conclusion: What Now for Salah & Liverpool?

The episode concludes with reserved optimism that, at least in the short term, Salah will play again for Liverpool, though the relationship with the club and his manager needs careful repair. The panel stresses how management of this crisis will define not just the remainder of Liverpool's season but potentially set a precedent for player power and club leadership.

Final Panel Words:

• Oli Kay: Predicts Salah will play again, citing the club’s diplomatic signals. [34:12]
• Adam Crafton: Sees the situation as “footballer stomping his feet,” not quite terminal yet. [35:16]
• Simon Hughes: Remains cautious, suggesting much depends on Salah’s response to his fourth consecutive omission. [41:26]

---

This episode provides a frank, insider’s view of a superstar’s standoff with one of football’s biggest clubs, and why what happens next will matter far beyond Anfield.

Transcript

[A]

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The Athletic FC.

[B]

Welcome to the Athletic FC Podcast with me, Ayo Akimolere. On Saturday night Mo Salah spoke, telling reporters the club has thrown him under the bus with his patchy form. Combined with these comments, Will the Egyptian King play for Liverpool again?

All right, in with us today we have a full house. We've got Simon Hughes, who's author of Chasing Salah the Biography. We've also got Oly Kane. We've got Adam Crafton as well. So Mo Salah was benched for the third successive game on Saturday night after Liverpool's 33 draw with Leeds United. He had a few things to get off his chest if you somehow have missed it. Well, here are some of the highlights.

[A]

Seems like a club throw me under the bus. That's how I felt it, how I feel it.

I think it's very clear that someone wants me to get all the Blame the club promised me in a summer for a lot of promises and nothing so far. I'm in the bench three games so I can say that they keep the promise. And I said that many times before I had a good relationship with the manager and out of the sudden we don't have any relationship at know why it seems, seems for me how I see that someone doesn't want to be in the club. Yeah.

[B]

David Orson on Monday afternoon has reported that he's now set to be dropped for the trip to Inter on Tuesday night despite training ahead of the games. Simon, let's start with you on this one. Salah does not speak often to the media. Actually, I think in eight years, only a handful of times that I've counted. How extraordinary is this latest outburst in your opinion?

[D]

It's extraordinary in the sense of the revelations that came from it. Obviously the talk of broken relationship with the manager being thrown under the bus by the club. Broken promises, you know, these are big claims and it lays naked the state of affairs at Liverpool and how, how vulnerable the club is at the moment and how disjointed things are. But it is part of a pattern of behavior from Salah. He has done this before. He does only speak when there is a reason for him to speak and it's usually relating to something involving himself and it usually happens when he feels cornered. So it's extraordinary, but it is part of a pattern. And that is where I think if you look at the club, perhaps this could have been managed. You know, that the club knows exactly what Mohamed Salah is like. If he's unhappy about something that he considers serious, he will speak about it. And it sort of feels like the situations got away from the club very quickly. And this is a club, remember, that has been credited over a long period of time of being ahead of things. And it feels like Liverpool are on the back foot at the moment. Although it sounds like they've made a decision to remove him from the squad against Inter Milan tomorrow night, which, you know, you know, does show that there's a level of authority there.

[B]

Yeah. Any justification for this, Adam? I mean, his form hasn't been the greatest. In fairness, neither has the teams. But this is quite an explosive thing to come out with.

[A]

There's been loads of people saying, you know, that it's behavior of a kind of slightly spoilt aging player raging against the dying of the light. Very reminiscent of kind of what we've seen over the years at times from people like Ronaldo and Messi when they don't get the attention that they necessarily want as they get older. I think the counterpoint is when you take the three games he's been put on the bench for West Ham, Sunderland and then Leeds. I don't think you can do that with probably your best paid player, your most famous celebrated player and not expect a reaction. I think from a management perspective, if it was once, okay, if it was twice, but when it's three times in a week against teams that he probably he would consider himself able to score quite a few goals against, I think it would be naive on Slot's part to think that's not going to lead to a reaction just before he goes off to afcon. So yeah, I mean it's very compelling from the outside.

[B]

It is great for us because we're talking about it. I mean look, he did talk about being thrown under the bus, Oli but you know, you look at the numbers, Ekatike, Gakpo, Szobotslav for instance, bigger numbers than Mo Salah this season. Does he have a point? Do you think he premeditated this before he went out and actually spoke what some might class his truth?

[E]

I have little doubt that he left that dressing room intending to say his piece. I mean he doesn't speak very often to anybody but you know, in terms of media, but he's done very few of those sort of post match mixer interviews in the whole of his eight and a half years of Liverpool. So yeah, it was calculated. I know he was frustrated but it seemed very measured almost what he was saying. You know, I'm sure he was angry but it looked measured. He looked like he knew what he was going to say in terms of that, that, that situation about him having been left out the last three matches. I think it's particularly difficult when the first months of this season where he's not been playing well and at times last season when he, where he wasn't playing well and at times under Jurgen Klopp in the final season, he certainly wasn't playing well. Towards the end of that season it looked like it was very difficult for managers to take him off. So he's gone from playing 90 minutes in almost every game, almost looking untouchable to looking like he's, he's now completely out of favor. And it's, it's. That is surprising. I know you can look at the game state of those last three games and think, well, there is an argument against having brought him on again at West Ham at 2 nil up or Leeds at 2 nil and 3 two up. But I do feel like he's probably entitled to feel. Why on earth have I gone from playing all the time to being the scapegoat seemingly for the team's problems? It's not as if they've played brilliantly without in the last, the last three games.

[B]

Yeah, I mean the numbers are pretty good though, you know that Simon. 250 goals in 420 games for Liverpool. And you know, I don't know any player at that level who doesn't have that sort of main character energy. If they're being left out, they're going to speak out about it, let's face it. But you know, he's the highest earner in the club. He's a vital player that they gave him a contract end of last season because they believed in what he could do this season. I mean does he have a point here?

[D]

On some issues yes, but on others, no. I think where he's lost people is the idea that he's proven himself and then that more or less justifies his inclusion in the team. That's sort of what he's, you know, the main argument that he's had here, you know, he's done it time and time again. Yes, we accept that. But you can't just turn off to training and think that well that's me and the team just because merely by turning up and being available we obviously don't know the details of the conversation that's happened between Slot and Mohamed Salah. And in many ways, you know, it's one of football's oldest stories. You know, player suddenly finding out that his value perhaps isn't quite what he thinks it is or should be to the team and reacting and being very unhappy about it. What is different obviously is that this is now playing out in public. Particularly at a club where, at Liverpool where traditionally things, you know, Liverpool over a long, long period of time going back to the 60s kept everything in house. And the idea that anyone spoke out, particularly about the manager, it just didn't happen. Players would grumble and moan privately they still do, about decisions that were made in the 1980s about the direction of players careers. And certain managers that let players go, they get angry still talking about the manager but they never went out in public. Obviously since then football's moved on. This is what happens now in football. You know, players not always but quite often are willing to sort of let it be known publicly that they are unhappy. What is quite unusual is it's rarely will a player come out and directly represent himself alone. And reveal this, you know and I think people find it quite hard to sort of to accept for all sorts of different reasons but primarily because you know we do, whether it's fans or journalists, we do moan about players not, you know, not coming out and speaking, you know, using anodyne lines that people are sort of so familiar with. And you know, the access alone justifies the presence of journalists being there. On this occasion Salah has come out and actually told us something we don't know and a lot of people don't like it. Now I understand why people don't like it but as you said I always is sort of his truth and it will shed light on what is happening at Liverpool at the moment. I'm torn with it because from a journalistic point of view of course we want to know exactly what's going on. And this is roughly, you know, this, this is obviously an issue for Salah and he has spoken about it. So to condemn him seems a bit hypocritical. But equally I also see the point that this does nothing for anybody. I don't think it improves anyone's position whether it's Salah the manager and it doesn't, certainly doesn't help Liverpool in the, in the short term. So you know, the situation is a bit of a mess.

[B]

If it is his truth, Adam, surely he's able to control how that truth is delivered but also articulate himself in ways he fits, he sees fit.

[A]

I should say I'm kind of with Samuel. I'm not sure who this helps this time. It's not like it's a, like what's the bargaining here. Unless he genuinely wants to leave the club, you know, which he suggested he might then okay this I guess, you know, brings it to a head. He goes off African cup of Nations. In the meantime they can sort out a move for January. But to me it seemed more like I'm grumpy, I'm not playing, I want the world to know this, I want to be playing again. And as a result of that he's now put a huge amount of pressure on himself if he does play on Saturday and then also will create really like a month of speculation in the time he's away that will put huge pressure on the club and he's also, you know, only a few months into a multi year contract. A huge multi year contract. So if he's leaving how does that work? You know, does he expect to be paid up? You know, is it a shake hands and pay me up situation? Is it the Liverpool want a transfer fee for him? How does this all work? So it's one of those where he's presented some information but it leaves you with kind of 10 to 15 more questions that probably no one's well, I doubt people are going to get out of Mo Salah over the next few weeks. And it does also give, I think Jamie Carragher said this before. Salah to me seems like someone who talks publicly when he wants something and he's very good at using the media, you know, media obviously always very grateful to speak to Mo Salah whenever he is available. But I do find it very, you know, kind of like transactional the way he uses the media. I find it quite charmless, you know, last season when he comes out and all of a sudden these, you know, post match television interviews when the contract negotiations are going. And I remember speaking to someone at Liverpool at the time and I was saying to them, are you worried that Salah's gonna go? And they said, no. We just know he's dancing the public dance. This is what Salah does. This is kind of who he is. And I think that's what we're seeing again now. He's not getting his own way so he's stomping his feet. And it is the behavior, I think, that we increasingly see of some of these individuals who are world amazing, world class individuals but just cannot handle things not going entirely their way within football clubs.

[F]

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[B]

Well, one of the most extraordinary elements in this actually from the Salah interview was the revelation of his relationship with Arna Slott and how it's broken down. Oli, I mean, how damaging is this for Arnas Slot, but also where does it put him in this situation?

[E]

It puts him in an extremely difficult situation, not least because of Salah's enormous popularity with the fan base and the fact that it comes at a time when Slot's popularity is being stretched and being strained by a really, really poor run of results and by a very obvious struggle in recent months to do the job he wants to be able to do. And you know, there's been a sense of things slightly unraveling for Slot and his position being weakened over recent months and the club have tried to stand behind him and show that they're still fully behind him. But something like this, it's enormously weakens a position unless sometimes you can get it where, where a manager can turn a situation like this into a positive. And Adam referenced the Cristiano Ronaldo situation at Manchester United in 2022 earlier for a very short time. I feel like that actually worked in Erik Ten Hag's favor the way he kind of managed it. But, but the only way to do it really was by sidelining Ronaldo. Ultimately Ronaldo left and then in the short term results went really good and it all looked more unified. I don't think it's very easy to get to that sort of unity position by marginalizing Salah, by allowing him to leave the club or whatever. It might be the right, it might prove to be the right solution in January, we just don't know. But at the moment it looks like it would be something that would perhaps in some ways weaken Slot's position. I just don't, I can't see a good outcome for Slot in this situation where a player of Salah's stature has come out and basically said that they don't have a relationship. It's very difficult.

[A]

Is the good outcome not, you know, he goes away African cup of nations, rediscovers his form. Slot can then say he's picked up form, he's back in the team and he starts scoring goals. That to me seems like the only outcome for Slot that can really work. They're just this kind of bit of time away calms everything down, comes back in. In the meantime Liverpool pick up a bit of form and then he comes back into the team. That seems like best case scenario.

[E]

Yeah, I think almost any other scenario is problematic for Slot and for Liverpool and obviously for the team. I don't think it's an ideal situation going into a game. The size that they've got in the Champions League. Away to Interrog Tuesday night. It's a total distraction. It's creating a lot of outside noise of the type that Liverpool have been very good at keeping out in recent years. They've looked like a very sort of settled, stable, unified club. This creates a totally different scenario and.

Obviously if Liverpool win and win without him in Milan, it looks like that's the statement victory that Arneslot and the team need. But I don't think it would make this situation go away.

[B]

Yeah. Who is it playing into the hands of Simon? As someone who has followed and covered this club for a while.

[E]

Everton, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man United, not Manchester United.

[D]

I think there's a temptation to think about what this says about Arne Slott. His way of dealing with players, you know, his position at the club. Salah, I don't want to say he's a recluse. He's hugely respected at Liverpool. He doesn't have many close relationships. But I think he has a good understanding of what is going on and who thinks what about whom. And I do wonder aside from his own interests, what's given him the confidence to come out against the manager at this time? Obviously the manager is in a weak position and this, this weakens his position I would say. But you know, Mohamed Salah, let's not forget, has had public spats with Sadio Mane, albeit it was more visible from Mane's side during a game. You know, this was a time when Liverpool were trying to win the league. You know, he had a very public fallout with Jurgen Klopp. Didn't think that highly of Jurgen Klopp. You know, this is a manager who delivered everything at Liverpool. So he is a person who has a huge sense of independence, put it that way. And he's a unique footballer in lots of different ways because of where he's from, because of his experiences and the way he's represented. And I just think that all of this needs considering when you are making decisions of significance about him and that's not to say give him special treatment but this is what Liverpool have done since day one with him. You know, even in the good times they knew that Salah liked to feel good about himself and to some degree even needed that reassurance even if he was scoring all these goals. There are some people who are saying, well you know, maybe this is what Liverpool wants, this is what you know, Liverpool have mapped out so it makes it easier to get rid of him. But in the short term it just heaves so much pressure onto Slot and all the noise coming out of Liverpool at the moment and say noise, you know, the whisperings is that SOT has the full support of the owners and the directors. So this benefits nobody really.

[B]

Yeah. Do you know when he referenced the club and he said someone not wanting me at the club. Is that further up than slot you reckon?

[D]

This is the thing with Salah, he is very direct about certain issues. He clearly obviously wanted to make a point about Slot but then he can be very cryptic about other issues and I suppose that's where the frustration is. I mean maybe he doesn't have that answer. Maybe he suspects that a decision has been made. I know you know the way through his time at Liverpool when he's renewed contracts previously in 2022 there was always the suspicion that Liverpool didn't really want to renew. And then there was this suspicion last year, you know, that Liverpool didn't really want to renew. They had ideas who were individuals who were sort of influencing the decision making around the club. But maybe he doesn't have that, that categorical proof and that means he doesn't have the confidence to come out and say exactly who he thinks is made a decision to, to either get him out the team or get him out the club. Because that's clearly what he thinks at this moment. So evidently if Liverpool are thinking oppositely, you know, there's going to have to be some effort to sort of bring them back together somehow and have some adult conversations.

[B]

Adult conversations, man. Indeed. Richard Hughes and also FST CEO of Football Michael Ed. They've got to face up to this one Oli. This is probably one of the biggest decisions they'll have to make whilst they've been at the club.

[E]

I don't know in terms of the new setup with Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes, I think they've had big, big, big decisions from day one. I mean they walked in and the first one was how to replace Jurgen Klopp. And then there's been all the big contract decisions last year with Van Dijk and with Salah and the attempt to renegotiate with Alexander Arnold. And then there was all the huge number of transfers in and out over summer. It feels like it's not exactly first test territory and the jury is very much out on the summer transfer business. Widely acclaimed at the time, but looking more questionable with hindsight. But they are bright and intelligent guys, but not infallible and this is a real test for how to handle it. I apologize for harking back to Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo again, but I do think it's really interesting parallel, not identical situation, but parallel. It felt at the time with that like there was a bit of a gap between manager and, and ownership and. And it felt like. It felt like that there was a real sort of power vacuum at Manchester United at that time and that sort of situation just completely unraveled, didn't it?

[A]

Yeah, there's a difference in that. And that actually at the time, as hard as it may now be to believe is Manchester United looks like they were going somewhere under 10 Hag at the time and we were actually doing okay without Ronaldo playing. And that's not something that's happening yet with Liverpool and Salah. It is just a team that looks broken and a relationship that looks broken at the moment rather than three games unbeaten. Adam, three games unbeaten, of course, but not where Liverpool would have wanted to be. I think the one aspect we've not mentioned is maybe this, you know, if I'm trying to get in the head of Mo Salah, I do wonder if he is looking at other and this is purely speculation, is he looking at other players in the team? Long standing players who have also not had the best season and are continuing to be picked week in, week out. You know, whether that is Konate or even Van Dijk in recent weeks. I'm sure there's other players as well, but I wonder if there is a bit of that where he's like, well, I'm not, I'm not the guy at centre back who's, you know, blowing up the defence once again at the moment. I suspect that may be an element of how a big player might feel, you know, when they are one of the individuals who at least feel scapegoated for the suffering of a team at a certain time. I don't know that's the case, but I imagine it's possible. The other thing that I wonder about the ownership and about the kind of whole Michael Edwards world is I think they are incredibly smart. I also think they have this kind of smartest man in the room tendency where they appear to feel as though they will always win every negotiation and every situation. And, you know, we saw that in the summer with how far they pushed the Isaac situation, which in theory worked out for them in the end, although it came so late that the team has not adapted whatsoever. But the other side of that is it really didn't work for them when they pushed it to the wire with Mark Gay. This is maybe a whole different conversation itself, but it's tempting to wonder how different Liverpool season would have been if they had just acted a bit more recklessly from a spending perspective, but a bit more sensibly in terms of paying that bit more to get Gay into the team and giving themselves another option at centre back. So I think they. They've had so many wins over the years in the transfer market and getting decisions right that I just wonder whether they'd almost just have this feeling that they are. They're always going to get it right, you know, a bit like. I don't know. I don't know if they'll like this comparison. David Cameron wins the Scottish referendum.

[D]

They definitely won't.

[A]

They definitely won't. David Cameron wins the Scottish referendum.

[D]

Right, Adam, can I just stop you there, please?

[B]

I knew Simon was coming in.

[A]

No, because this is a good analogy.

[B]

Go on, then.

[A]

And he, you know, he's won a couple of elections and he thinks I'm a winner, I'm going to keep winning, so I'm going to do the Brexit referendum as well. And then all of a sudden something comes along that it smacks you in the face when you're not expecting it. And I just wonder whether they've just got a bit too sure that they're always going to win all of these negotiations and at some point you won't. At some point situations come along which are less difficult to manage. And then there's the other thing of just like, was it a good idea to give Sanne the length of contract at his age? We all thought it was, you know, at the time because of his physique and players can now play till 40 because they're going to be like, powered by AI nutrition. But maybe it wasn't. Maybe it wasn't.

[C]

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[D]

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[F]

You're listening to the Athletic FC podcast with ayawakamulere.

[B]

Well, let's talk about what comes next, gents, because we've referenced that Salah is heading to Afghan and his first game in two weeks will be against Zimbabwe. Do we have any sense of how this might affect his time with Egypt? Because some might say this could be a bit of respite for him.

[A]

I guess so. There's always a huge pressure and expectation on him when he goes to play for Egypt. In any case, I'm not sure people necessarily appreciate in England just how football mad as a nation Egypt is. I mean, if you've ever posted anything as a journalist about Mo Salah on social media, I mean, once it gets to Egypt, that post is traveling and it's traveling in all different directions. So there will be a huge pressure on him there also ahead of the World Cup. I mean, I spoke SI knows a lot more about this relationship than I do. But at the World cup cup draw on Friday, I had a quick chat with the Egypt head coach who was. He was kind of saying that something kind of needs to change for Salah. You know, they're in contact a lot. He was saying that he hopes that by sort of going away from Liverpool for a bit during the African cup of nations that he could rediscover his best form for country and then he could take that back into his club. But I think that has been. That relationship between himself and the national team has not always been easy. So on the one hand it looks like it could be something that is a respite, but actually, you know, if that group stage doesn't go well or they don't go as far as they think they will, a huge amount of pressure will come down on that individual's shoulders. I know it helps that he's got, you know, Marmouche there now as well. So there's a bit more of a shared burden with the superstars. But that won't be an easy month for Mo Salah.

[B]

And you're off to Afghan, aren't you, Simon? In Morocco, it's going to be fascinating because what should have been conversations around the football is now back to conversations about Mo Salah. Every time that Egypt play, I know.

[D]

I was looking forward. Well, I am still looking forward to the tournament, but I've got a feeling that I'm going to be following Mo Salah around quite a lot. Egypt have the group stage in Agadir and Adam's totally right. This is not going to be a couple of weeks in, you know, winter sun for Salah. He is going to be under lots of pressure. He's never won an AFCON before. He's judged in Egypt, really, against the group of players that went before him who delivered three AFCON titles in a row. Egypt have qualified for two World Cups since that moment and Salah's been, you know, critical to those qualifications. But Egypt takes a great pride in its success in Afghan. It's the most successful country in Afghan history. So if he finishes career without winning an afcon, it will be a mark against them, I think. So, yeah. It's a really. They're in a tough group as well. Egypt, I think, you know, that the playing South Africa, the second game, who are not to be underestimated, they're amongst the favorites. Angola are always tough as well. And Zimbabwe are not going to be easy. So they'll have to start the tournaments well under, otherwise they'll fall under a lot of Pressure very quickly. So yeah, it's going to be a fascinating month. I mean I am, I am looking forward to it. I mean, who knows what the story will be by then. I mean it's the opening game's two weeks away. I suppose a lot will depend on what happens this Saturday when Sam either plays or does not play against Brighton.

[B]

Yeah, let's go around the houses very quickly then. And once the dust has settled, let's look at the outlook potentially for Salah Oli. Will he play for Liverpool again?

[E]

Oof. Yes, I'll say yes. I'll predict yes. The murmurs from out of the club this morning have been that if he's not on the flight to Milan, which we believe to be the case at the time of recording, then it's a one off thing. It's not even being described as a punishment. But the talk has been quite diplomatic, I would say. Nobody's saying that Salah's Birdsey Bridge you said is finished. The suggestion is that he will be sort of considered for selection against Brighton at the weekend, perhaps post the Inter game on Tuesday, whether there's sort of some kind of peace talks and some kind of resolution aimed towards getting some kind of normality before he goes away.

[B]

Yeah, the MLS is still available. So Saudi Adam, what do you reckon?

[A]

I have the perfect person to do these peace talks.

[D]

Donald Trump.

[A]

We can fly him in. What a great idea.

[D]

Azan, can you write the column? Can you write the column please? That would be brilliant. I would love that.

[B]

Absolutely love that.

[A]

No, I mean I think he went to, he's been to the Middle East a few times so he could go to Morocco for those talks, as does Gianni in terms of where he might go. I genuinely think we're quite far away from that point at the moment. I think we're still in the kind of footballer stomping his feet because he wants to play more football kind of thing. I don't think what we're seeing is like that different to the best player being taken off in an under 12s game and like their dad calling up the coach midweek being like, why isn't my son playing? To be honest, like, I don't think this is like something where and I might be proven wrong. I don't think this is something where Salah like has something lined up ready to go in three weeks time. There's always been the link to the Saudi pro league with him having such huge status in the Arab world. That would be a huge, huge get I think for the Saudi league Equally, that league is not spending in quite the same way as they were maybe 18 months ago. I do think that is a move that can happen for him at some point. I think from an MLS perspective, I think Inter Miami have other targets. There are a few teams that have been thinking about and talking about going big in the market. San Diego, since they expanded, I think are still looking for a really big name. Chicago have been looking at a big name as well. You wonder whether the New York City team, as they start to look towards their new stadium opening, I think that's 20, 27, might want a bigger name as well. So those are the kind of moves that are going to be discussed. But if he's someone who thinks he should be starting every week in the Premier League for Liverpool, why would he go to MLS in four weeks time? That's the other element of this. This is someone who clearly still believes he is a world class footballer. So why would he go at this stage to leagues that would, you know, diminish his exposure. So that's why I do think, you know, the best outcome for him here is to sort this out. And also the other thing is he would be leaving a lot of money on the table if he was to walk away from Liverpool at this point. So I think there's a lot of incentives for this to be threshed out. You wonder where this will leave slot over time. Like if this relationship can't repair itself and the team continues to lose games, is he trying to force a situation with the coach? And I think that's where Liverpool could get into really dangerous territory. Because once you start letting players relationships decide what happens with the coach, then you start to become a very different club. And I think Liverpool will be conscious of that. And I think that might be why they've taken this decision around the intergame. And let's see what they do with Brighton. I mean, does he come on as a sub? What reaction does he get inside Anfield, you know, when he warms up? Would he really play it up and hamm it up for the, for the cameras in that game, you know, when he's warming up, you know, because I don't think Liverpool fans are going to boot him, you know, before the game or when he comes on or anything like that? I imagine it will be, I don't know. To be fair, they booed Trent. So who knows.

[B]

Before we go, Adam, we often look at other stories across the game and this weekend actually saw David Beckham's Inter Miami win their first MLS cup and after that win over Vancouver, he told David Ornstein how much it means to win the trophy, both as a player and also as a co owner.

[A]

It has to be one of the. One of my greatest moments in my career, you know, to.

[B]

To have won it as a player.

[A]

Now, to have won it as an.

[B]

Uno, as an owner.

[A]

I don't think that's been done before.

[B]

So that's a nice thing to be.

[G]

Done first.

[B]

But it ranks up there with everything. People turn around to me and always say.

[A]

What'S the most important trophy? It's always the next one that you win. You know, they're all as important as each other. Every trophy that I've won, whether it's.

[B]

Been a Champions League, La Liga, Premier.

[A]

League, or this tonight, they all mean the same.

[B]

They all.

[A]

Every one of every. Every trope that I've won means exactly the same.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, how big is that for Inter Miami, Adam, Considering the amount of money they spent on that club, bringing Messi to Miami, Busquets, Suarez, I mean, they had to win the MLS cup at some point, surely.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, it would have been like. It was almost harder not to given, you know, what. What they've spent and invested. Clearly, you know, look, it's clearly brought a lot of eyeballs, a lot of attention. Unclear what it's done for audience because they've had to change their whole deal with Apple over the last couple of years. And I think for Inter Miami, it's been really good. The presence of Messi combined with actually just. I think their jersey has become quite iconic. You see it worn all over the world. It's very distinguishable. So I think the leisure aspect combined with Messi himself has done huge things for into Miami's global brand. I'm not sure it's done huge things in terms of making MLS a national storyline within the United States, something that is on in every sports bar in the United States, etc. People are still, I think, paying more attention from a broadcasting perspective to Premier League games and Champions League games. But, you know, for sure, it is cool, though, to see Messi, like, still really appear to care about winning this thing with this group of players that he's been working with are clearly of very different skill level, most of them to him, and he's still doing incredible things. When you watch him play. I mean, one of the assists the other day was absolutely remarkable, and I think it sets him up quite nicely for the World cup next summer. And it'll be interesting to see how he manages that kind of an even more elevated level.

[B]

Okay, I just wanted to give you some reprieve, Si, because I didn't ask you whether or not Mo Salah would be playing for Liverpool again this season. Now Adam has spoken about Messi.

[D]

Can't we talk about the bar that David Ornstein was in with David Beckham there? Sounds like good fun, didn't he?

[B]

Yeah. Stop it, mate. Just, just give me an answer. Is he going to play for Liverpool again?

[D]

Yesterday I was finding it hard to see a way back. Like Ali says, the messages out of Liverpool this morning seem like the situation's under a bit more control. But before offering an answer, I would like to get some sort of impression from the player's side, to be honest, about the development that he is likely not to feature against Inter Milan. I mean, at the moment I think a lot of people are probably assuming that Salah is accepting of that, which is a strange thing given that his whole issue is about not playing. So yeah, I think a lot is dependent on Salah responds to being left out of the team for a fourth game.

[B]

All right, gents, let's leave it there. I'll leave you to ponder your headline to see whether or not Donald Trump and Infantino come and broker this piece still at Liverpool. Adam Simon and Oli appreciate your time and also thank you guys for listening. We'll be back tomorrow.

[F]

You've been listening to the Athletic FC Podcast. The producers are Guy Clark, Mike Stabro and Jay Beal. Executive producers are Abby Patterson and Aid Moorhead. To listen to other great athletic podcasts for free, including our dedicated club shows, search for the Athletic on all the usual places. You'll also find us on YouTube at the Athletic FC Podcast, so make sure you subscribe. The Athletic FC Podcast is an athletic media company production.

[C]

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