Premium

Arne Slot ends Mo Salah Cold War as Liverpool star prepares for dramatic Anfield return after AFCON

Before he had left for AFCON, Salah had accused the club of “throwing him under the bus" before revealing that his relationship with Slot had broken down.

2 min readJan 16, 2026 11:00 PM IST

Mo Salah (L) sensationally claimed that his relationship with Liverpool manager Arne Slot has now broken down. (Reuters)

Liverpool manager seems to have extended an olive branch to star player Mo Salah, putting behind an apparent falling out that the duo had just a few weeks back. Slot told journalists at a press conference that he was glad to welcome back Salah from the Africa Cup of Nations.

Before he had left for AFCON, Salah had accused the club of “throwing him under the bus” before revealing that his relationship with Slot had broken down. This was around the time that the 33-year-old was benched for three matches. Salah has not started for Liverpool since November, but Slot’s comments about being happy to have him back after he plays in Egypt’s third-place match ‍against ⁠Nigeria on Saturday, opens the possibility of a rapprochement between the star and the manager.

“First-off, he has to play another big game for Egypt on Saturday,” Slot told reporters ahead of Saturday’s home game against Burnley. “I’m happy he’s coming back. ‌If I had 15 attackers, I would still be happy to have him back.”

After a woeful start to their Premier League title defence, Liverpool have experienced a resurgence in fortunes thanks to an 11-game unbeaten run across all competitions. But the Merseyside club is still 14 points behind leaders Arsenal, which sees them in fourth place in the Premier League standings.

Liverpool’s manager Arne Slot gives instructions to his players during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers in Liverpool, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

“Ideally, it’s not 11 games unbeaten, it’s 11 wins in a row — that is what we aim for,” Slot said. “From where we were when we conceded four ‌goals against PSV Eindhoven to now — a much better place, but there’s still enough room for improvement.”

Slot acknowledged the pressure to ‌secure Champions League qualification, having led the table early on. We haven’t put ourselves in the most ideal position, especially ‌when you compare to where we were after six games.”