Mohamed Salah's Uncertain Liverpool Farewell
LIVERPOOL, England — Anfield will say goodbye to Mohamed Salah on Sunday. Or at least, it expects to. Whether its modern goal-scoring icon actually steps onto the pitch against Brentford is another matter entirely.
On the eve of Liverpool’s Premier League finale, manager Arne Slot refused to guarantee Salah any part in the occasion, swerving a direct question about the Egyptian’s involvement.
“I never say anything about team selection,” Slot said when pressed on Friday. “It would be a surprise to you if I did this right now, I think.”
No promise. No hint. Just doubt hanging over what should have been a straightforward farewell for one of the club’s greatest forwards.
A Legend, Leaving on Fractious Terms
Salah is not just another departing player. Across nine seasons at Anfield, he has terrorized defenses, rewritten records and helped define an era. Yet his final days in red are playing out with a tension that jars with the scale of his contribution.
In March, the 33-year-old confirmed he would leave at the end of the season, after reaching an agreement with Liverpool to terminate his contract a year early. That announcement was meant to bring clarity. Instead, the weeks since have only deepened the sense of rupture.
His form has dipped this campaign, sharply enough that Slot dropped him for a run of matches late last year. For a player long treated as undroppable, the demotion cut deep. Salah did not hide his anger, accusing the club of having “thrown me under the bus” when he spoke to reporters.
That frustration has not cooled.
“Heavy Metal” Demands and a Public Rift
The latest flashpoint came after last Friday’s 4-2 defeat to Aston Villa, a result that left Liverpool still scrapping to lock down Champions League qualification. Salah, rarely one to publicly question his coaches, went on the offensive over the team’s approach.
He called for a return to the kind of “heavy metal attacking” that once made Liverpool one of Europe’s most feared sides. The message was unmistakable: he does not like what he is being asked to play in Slot’s system.
It was the second time this season he has openly clashed with his manager. The timing, on the brink of his farewell game, only sharpened the spotlight.
The outburst has thrown extra drama over a match that already carried emotional weight. Anfield expected a send-off; now it might get a standoff.
Champions League Stakes, Personal Subplots
All of this unfolds against a demanding backdrop. Liverpool still need to secure their place in next season’s Champions League, and Slot’s priority on Sunday will be points, not sentiment.
That calculation feeds directly into the selection dilemma. Does Slot lean into the occasion and start Salah for what could be his last appearance at Anfield? Or does he back the players who fit his current plan more closely, even if it means leaving a club legend on the bench or out of the squad entirely?
The manager is giving nothing away. Salah has forced the issue into the open; Slot is keeping his cards pressed tight to his chest.
What is clear is that the relationship between star forward and head coach is strained at the very moment their partnership is ending. The winger who once symbolized Liverpool’s relentless attacking identity now publicly questions the direction of the team, as the club tries to chart a new one without him.
On Sunday, Anfield will rise to salute Mohamed Salah. The only question is whether it will be doing so with him on the pitch, or watching from the sidelines as his Liverpool story closes in silence.
