Mo Salah ‘could leave in January’ as Liverpool told ‘it won’t end well’

Jamie Redknapp doesn’t expect Mohamed Salah to see out his contract after the Egypt star was left out of Arne Slot’s starting XI for the second successive match against Sunderland

Liverpool have been warned that Mohamed Salah could leave in January, with the relationship between the club and their star player “at breaking point”.

The prediction came from former Anfield favourite Jamie Redknapp, after Salah was left out of Arne Slot’s starting XI for the second match in a row against Sunderland. Salah came off the bench for the second half, but couldn’t prevent the Reds from being held to a 1-1 draw by the Black Cats.

Redknapp said he would be “amazed” if he sees out the rest of his Liverpool contract, which runs until 2027, and hinted that Salah might depart in January.

The Egypt star proved pivotal in Liverpool’s Premier League title triumph last season, bagging 29 goals and contributing 18 assists in 38 league appearances. However, his performances appear to have plummeted this term, along with those of many of his colleagues – intensifying scrutiny on Slot’s tenure amid a worrying run of results.

Sky Sports pundit Redknapp worries that Salah and Liverpool could be on the brink of an acrimonious split.

“He’s a Premier League legend, a Liverpool icon and that’s why I don’t think this is going to end well,” he remarked on Sky Sports. “It will be a tricky situation now because the manager, when you’ve got someone who is so talented, so vital to the team, in and around the changing room and how they behave and perform in training.

“He’s not going to want to warm the bench, he hasn’t signed this contract to wind down his career. He wants to play consistently, week in, week out.

“I’ll be gobsmacked if he fulfils the last two years of his contract, or year and a half. I don’t think this aids the situation one iota. Nothing in football would surprise me – whether it’s in January or perhaps in the summer.

“If the right club were to come along… a lot will be determined by this man. He’s earned that privilege. And if he says: ‘Look, if I’m not going to be a starter for you, I’m not one of those players who is going to linger. I will go wherever it takes.’ I still believe he will want to play in Europe.

“The first thing we’re all going to say is he’ll go to Saudi – he’s obviously a legend in that part of the world – or he’ll want to go to the US, but this for me now is a real breaking point in the relationship.

“He’ll feel let down and, like you say, maybe even blamed for what’s going on. But while the team is winning without him… I saw those stats and they’re pretty good when he doesn’t play.

“No one is indispensable, time waits for no one, and it’s going to be difficult now.”

Earlier this week, Slot acknowledged that Salah was unhappy about being benched for the West Ham fixture and revealed his reaction to Wednesday’s call.

Before the match, he remarked: “We didn’t have a long conversation, this time and also not the one before West Ham. We spoke a lot after the Frankfurt game and now not as much as that time.

“I think he reacts like you want a top professional to react and that is he trained really hard and good the day after the game at West Ham and trained good yesterday, he’s really positive towards his team-mates.

“In that sense, he’s an example, he’s been an example to all those players when he plays and now he’s an example when he doesn’t play.”