Mohamed Salah and Jurgen Klopp
A report on Mohamed Salah has uncovered the strained nature of relationships with ex-manager Jurgen Klopp and former wing partner Sadio Mane
Salah’s time at Liverpool has been detailed in a lengthy report from the Daily Mail. Within are claims that he did not always enjoy the best of relationships with manager Klopp or team-mate Mane.
The report says Klopp did not actively pursue Salah prior to his 2017 move, instead preferring names such as Julian Brandt, although he was eventually persuaded into purchasing the Egyptian by his recruitment team.
Though he thrived under the German, it is said that Klopp and Salah were never close, and that there was simply respect between the two. Eventually, tensions rose after Salah did a question and answer (Q&A) with a Spanish newspaper in 2020 in which he fumed over not being named captain for a Champions League match.
Later down the line, after Salah questioned Klopp’s coaching methods after the defeat to Everton, he was dropped to the bench, while they were seen having an argument during a draw with West Ham.
Similar incidents occurred with winger Mane. When Salah arrived at Liverpool, the two were close, but over time, Mane began to feel overshadowed and under-appreciated due to the Egyptian’s brilliant goal-scoring form, and this eventually boiled over on the pitch.
In a well-publicised incident against Burnley, Salah opted to selfishly go for the goal himself rather than shift the ball to Mane, who was in a better position. Furious, Mane verbally attacked Salah, and Klopp’s decision to substitute the Senegal international moments later only heightened tensions. The tense relationship between the two African wingers eventually contributed to Mane leaving Liverpool in favour of a move to Bayern Munich.
With both Klopp and Mane in pastures new, Salah outlasted both of them at Liverpool, and that at least means that old issues have been swept under the carpet. Liverpool will simply be focusing on their football at this point in time, as Salah’s frightening form has seen the Reds rise to the top of the Premier League under new coach Arne Slot.
