Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has said he does not focus on what is being said about the club online after forward Mohamed Salah sparked further speculation about his future with a cryptic social media post.
The photo, shared on Monday, shows Salah standing over a free-kick alongside teammates Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk. All three players are out of contract at Anfield at the end of the season and have been the subject of intense media scrutiny in recent months.
Asked whether he pays attention to the external noise surrounding his players, Slot said: “I talk to my players so if there is anything that worries them, they share with me. That has not happened until now.
“What I do with the players is show them what we could have done better against [Manchester] United, what we’ve done well against United, because I think especially in the first half, we created some very good chances. And the mentality we showed when we were 1-0 down, that is something every fan likes to see, and every manager likes to see.
“That’s what we are focused on. I’m not focused on social media posts or what is being said about us. If you do that as Liverpool manager, then you have no life because this is one of the biggest clubs in the world and every day people talk about us.”
Alexander-Arnold, in particular, has been under scrutiny following his lacklustre display in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with United. Last week, the right-back was the subject of transfer interest from Real Madrid, though their approach was quickly rejected by Liverpool.
Reflecting on Alexander-Arnold’s performance against Ruben Amorim’s side, Slot said: “I think we were all disappointed by the way we played, not only Trent. First of all, about the result.
“Parts of the game we could be quite satisfied with. Other parts of our game we weren’t totally satisfied with. That was not only Trent. There were more things in the game that we could have done better.
“Trent did not play his best game, I’ve said that already, but that’s not for the first time in his life. He’s played many games so, so well for this club, now this wasn’t his best, like for some others. We just pick it up and start training again today.”
Liverpool are six points clear at the top of the Premier League, with a game in hand, and are top of the Champions League table. Slot’s side are also through to the semifinals of the Carabao Cup and will face Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg on Wednesday night.
Asked whether Liverpool will look to bolster their ranks in the January transfer window, Slot said: “It would be a bit weird if I’d said during the summer break we are really happy with the team to tell you something different now. But we always look at the market.
“This club has always looked at the market. We did this with the goalkeeper we don’t even have at the moment [Giorgi Mamardashvili]. If there’s a chance in the market, this club always tries to bring that chance in. The team is in a good place.
“Unfortunately, Joe Gomez’s injury means we go from four centre-backs to three. But he will be back in a few weeks, and I am very happy with the team. I think they deserve that trust from the club and from me if you look at the performances they’ve brought in the last half a season.”
>
