LAURA WOODS: DOES SALAH KNOW SLOT IS STAYING AS LIVERPOOL MANAGER?
SLOT SHOULDN’T PICK SALAH
I can’t see how Arne Slot can pick Mohamed Salah for the final game of the season. As a manager I’d feel incredibly disrespected if one of my players did that, irrespective of whether he was leaving or not.
His final game being at Anfield makes it a very tough situation to be in given the pressure from the fans but I think he’s got to take a stand and show the other players can’t think what Salah has done is okay.
I was really surprised Salah made the comments, to be honest. When we broke the news on air during the FA Cup final it came just after Xabi Alonso was announced as the new Chelsea manager so I wonder if it was perhaps linked to it all.
I also wonder if Salah knows Arne Slot is staying and as a result he’s made his feelings known about that. It does seem a bit of a reaction to something and my impression is that despite what Salah has done, Slot will be there next season.
I can’t say I’m a fan of players coming out and doing what Salah has done. Yes, he’s an absolute legend of the club but you still have to be professional and fall in line given you’re under contract. I get where he’s coming from with the comments as the football hasn’t been good this season, but there is a way of doing these things which I don’t think he’s followed.
The final game of his Liverpool career should be a celebration of everything he’s done at the club and all of this stuff just feels very awkward and not how it should be.
ALONSO AMAZING FOR CHELSEA
When I heard the news that Xabi Alonso was going to Chelsea I was amazed. It’s a brilliant appointment for the club and I think they’ve done incredibly well to get him.
My first thought when the news broke was what Liverpool fans would think of him heading to Stamford Bridge?
He did seem the perfect appointment for Liverpool, given his allegiances to that club as well as the struggles they’ve experienced under Arne Slot – but for one reason or another that’s not happening and I think Chelsea have really landed on their feet as a result.
They’ve got a top-class manager and one that should galvanise the fan base. BlueCo are not popular at all with a big portion of the Chelsea fans, so I think this appointment will earn them plenty of plaudits.
I’m a bit surprised he’s chosen Chelsea, though. I wouldn’t want to go to Chelsea with that group of players, so I’m guessing he’s been promised a load of money and a fair amount of autonomy.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change
