Dejan Lovren has put the cat amongst the pigeons after claiming that Mohamed Salah would have stayed at Liverpool if it weren’t for his conflict with Arne Slot.
“Yeah, 100 percent was going to stay,” said the former Liverpool defender, who became Salah’s closest friend while at the club.
“Believe me, it would’ve been 100%. I know it, but the timing was bad. Only an idiot would say we don’t need him anymore.
“I mean, you say you don’t need Mohamed Salah at Liverpool when he can still perform for another two or three years at the highest level, then we have trouble understanding football.
“I don’t think it’s management, I think it’s just one person, and I think it’s just the coach.
“They didn’t have a good relationship, let’s just say it as it is, with Klopp he had a really beautiful relationship.
“They weren’t always perfect, but they knew each other well, let’s say that too, they trusted each other, they loved each other, they did everything on the pitch for Klopp, and Klopp gave him confidence, but everything was the opposite (with Slot).
“It’s that simple, and everyone knows that because when you look at the previous eight or nine seasons, they’ve done really well.
“Then in the last season…now people will say, ‘oh yes, but he also did well in the first year that Slot came in,’ but I don’t think it was because I think he just took the team the way it was, as the team was already.
“So, as I said, it’s sad, in my opinion, that Mo leaves like this. I never expected that. Especially since he had another year.”
