Arne Slot has offered his reaction to the statement that Mohamed Salah posted on social media last weekend, with the Liverpool forward set to play just once more for the Reds

09:07, 22 May 2026

Arne Slot and Mohamed Salah on the Anfield touchline during Liverpool vs Crystal Palace.(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Arne Slot says the only thing that matters to Liverpool is qualifying for the Champions League after Mohamed Salah criticized his style of play.

"What I have seen is the team trained really well and we hope to continue, so we are the best possible prepared," Slot said in his pre-match press conference ahead of facing Brentford.

"Mo and I want the club to be successful. What we want is the club to be as successful as we were last season and that is where my main focus is now because the game Sunday can be a good platform for next season."

READ MORE: Harvey Elliott immediately mocks Aston Villa transfer after Europa League successREAD MORE: Arne Slot press conference LIVE: Mohamed Salah reaction, Liverpool transfer news and rumors

Last weekend, Salah took to social media to suggest that Liverpool needs to be playing a "heavy metal" style in order to be successful again, off the back of a difficult campaign in which it has struggled.

"I have witnessed this club go from doubters to believers, and from believers to champions," he wrote in the message, which didn't name Slot directly but appeared to be another jibe."It took hard work and I always did everything I could to help the club get there. Nothing makes me prouder than that. Us crumbling to yet another defeat this season was very painful and not what our fans deserve.

"I want to see Liverpool go back to being the heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear and back to being a team that wins trophies. That is the football I know how to play and that is the identity that needs to be recovered and kept for good.

"It cannot be negotiable and everyone that joins this club should adapt to it. Winning some games here and there is not what Liverpool should be about.

"All teams win games. Liverpool will always be a club that means a great deal to me and to my family. I want to see it succeed for long after I have moved on.

Get Liverpool's new 2026/27 home kit

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

£85

LFC Shop

Buy Now on LFC Shop

Liverpool FC have launched their new home kit for the 2026/27, inspired by iconic adidas strip worn during the club's 1989/90 title-winning campaign.

Article continues below

"As I’ve always said, qualifying to next season’s Champions League is the bare minimum and I will do everything I can to make that happen."

Avoiding defeat against Brentford will ensure that Liverpool finishes inside the top five spots and therefore qualifies for the Champions League.

Depending on goal difference and results elsewhere, it could also lose and still make it. If Liverpool wins and Aston Villa loses, it would move into fourth place, which would then mean Bournemouth coming sixth and entering UEFA's top competition too.

Adblock test (Why?)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

Alexander Isak will be eager to put a nightmare first season at Liverpool behind him as the Reds prepare to host Brentford in their final home Premier League game of the campaign

Ian Doyle Chief Liverpool FC Writer

08:27, 22 May 2026Updated 08:33, 22 May 2026

Alexander Isak has endured a tough debut season at Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)

There will be mixed emotions at Anfield on Sunday.

However, one Liverpool player in particular will simply be relieved to be saying hello once more. While heartfelt send-offs will be extended, at minimum, to the outgoing Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson, there will be little hesitation in bidding farewell to a grueling campaign for Arne Slot's squad.

Leading that charge will surely be Alexander Isak, following the most wretched season of his career since his £125 million ($167.8 million) British record move from Newcastle in September. At times, Isak must have wondered whether the transfer was worth all the upheaval, having spectacularly fallen out with the Magpies faithful over his insistence on forcing through a move to Anfield.

READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news as $81M midfielder eyed and clear Mateus Mane message sentREAD MORE: Andy Robertson reveals Trent Alexander-Arnold gift nearly left him in tears before Liverpool exit

Fitness concerns and injuries have limited Isak to just 13 starts and nine substitute appearances, yielding four goals and one assist during that period.

The fanbase's tolerance has indeed been tested in recent weeks, with Isak having sat out two of the past three fixtures - the losses at Manchester United and Aston Villa - due to minor muscular niggles.

With the World Cup — for which Sweden qualified via the playoffs backdoor, having finished bottom of its qualifying group — now just weeks away, suspicions have emerged that the player may be deliberately protecting his fitness ahead of the tournament.

Isak will be expected to perform next season(Image: Getty Images)

In all fairness, a few niggles were always to be expected given the lengthy spell he spent on the sidelines following the broken leg sustained at Tottenham shortly before Christmas.

Nevertheless, it will be crucial for the striker to prove his fitness and secure a starting berth for the Premier League finale at home to Brentford this weekend.

For one thing, while only a highly unlikely combination of results can deny Liverpool a Champions League place, a goal or two from Isak in a Reds victory would go some way toward justifying his transfer fee and helping to secure their spot among Europe's finest.

It would also serve as a timely reminder of precisely why Liverpool invested so heavily in his services, and why next season's squad will be tailored to maximize his goal-scoring prowess.

"Alexander Isak hasn't looked good for Liverpool in their system," said ex-Swedish player Anders Limpar, speaking to Betano Online Casino. "He suffered a horrendous injury requiring operations. Then he came to Liverpool when the team's performance was declining.

Article continues below

"If a new player arrives when the team is struggling, who are they going to blame? I mean, the biggest signing, Alexander Isak, is being blamed. It's not his fault, it's the whole club's fault if they don't succeed. It's the manager, all the players, and the staff.

"You can't just point to Alexander Isak as the sole reason why Liverpool hasn't been successful. That's not fair, especially with an injury like this. But I would like to see him stepping up."

Sunday, therefore, would mark an ideal beginning. For Isak, the new campaign begins now.

Adblock test (Why?)

Arne Slot will face the media in a pre-match press conference for the final time this season ahead of Liverpool's clash with Brentford

Arne Slot will face the media in a pre-match press conference for the final time this season ahead of Liverpool's clash with Brentford

Amid a touching farewell message, Virgil van Dijk has described Andy Robertson as arguably the “best left-back of the last decade.”

After nine years of ups, downs and a lot of laughs, Robertson is leaving Liverpool with the best wishes of supporters and his teammates.

Having arrived just six months after Robertson, who joined the Reds for £8 million from Hull in 2017, Van Dijk has shared the left side of Liverpool’s defence with the full-back on 298 occasions.

Only fellow departing legend Mo Salah has played alongside Van Dijk more often, with 333 games together.

Speaking about the imminent exit of the 32-year-old, Liverpool skipper Van Dijk told All Red Video:

“It’s been a joy to have him on my left-hand side, and since I joined the club he was basically my left-back almost constantly and we know each other’s strengths pretty well and could make use of that quite a lot.

“It’s been an absolute privilege and pleasure to play with him on my left side. He is one of, if not the best left-back of the last decade for sure in the Premier League and definitely in contention as one of the best left-backs of Liverpool.

“It’s all down to him, his hard work, his quality, his drive and something that he showed on a consistent basis.

“It is an incredible journey that he had and it’s great to have been part of his success.”

As well as a friend and great player, Liverpool will be losing their vice-captain in Robertson, a position he has held since Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s departure last summer.

While he may have only officially been vice-captain for a year, Robertson has long been an influential part of Liverpool’s ‘leadership group’.

[embedded content]

Asked about the left-back’s influence in the dressing room, Van Dijk explained: “I think leading always starts by example and over all those years that we’ve been working together, I feel like he’s definitely led by example.

“This year, he’s been my vice-captain. It’s a player with so much experience, it’s someone that obviously always will feel and take the responsibility when needed.

“For me, I can say anything that I want to say to him and the other way around as well, so it was always going to work. And even in a tough season that we had this year, it was always going to be tricky, but we tried to do it in the best way that we can.

“He is a leader in the way he acts and in the way he wants to put the team in front and that’s the bare minimum. I think he did that pretty well.”

Virgil Van Dijk wanted to sign Andy Robertson at Celtic

A marauding full-back with a deadly cross and desire to put his body on the line when defending, Robertson has endeared himself to supporters with his attitude on the pitch.

He was exhibiting some of these traits well before he arrived on Merseyside, though.

Van Dijk remembers asking his former club, Celtic, to sign Robertson after facing the young Scotsman while he was playing for Dundee United.

It is a story the Dutchman has told before, but Van Dijk was keen to bring it up again as he spoke about his teammate.

The centre-half recalled facing Robertson three times in the 2013/14 SPL season: “We spoke about it quite a lot over those years.

“I think I was already, I won’t say a big fan of him, but I was impressed by him and I told the scouts at Celtic to try to get him at Celtic when he was at Dundee United.

“Unfortunately, at the time they didn’t listen, but everything happens for a reason and eventually we got to play together, and I think the rest is history.”

Adblock test (Why?)

Liverpool's season comes to a head this weekend as reports continue to swirl on the future of Arne Slot

Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson will say their goodbyes at Anfield on Sunday afternoon, and our Liverpool jury have been reminiscing about their time in Red

Liverpool's season comes to a head this weekend as reports continue to swirl on the future of Arne Slot

Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson will say their goodbyes at Anfield on Sunday afternoon, and our Liverpool jury have been reminiscing about their time in Red

Arne Slot has endured a difficult second season at Liverpool

Arne Slot has endured a difficult second season at Liverpool

Andy Robertson will leave Liverpool after the final game of the season against Brentford on Sunday

Andy Robertson will leave Liverpool after the final game of the season against Brentford on Sunday

Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images

A loss Thursday would be a devasting blow in an already frustrating 2024/25.

As is the case for any (sobs) 14th-place team, Tottenham Hotspur's season hinges on competitions outside the Premier League. A bye into the Europa League Round of 16 keeps that avenue open, and the FA Cup remains a possibility as well, but the most immediate and realistic path to silverware is the League Cup. Yes, the road is brutal, with a trip to Anfield before a final against Newcastle, but only 180 minutes separate Spurs from ending their long-standing trophy drought.

That makes Thursday the biggest match of the season so far. Tottenham impressed in the semifinal's first leg, grinding out a 1-0 win despite ceding possession, absorbing pressure, and deploying a makeshift backline. Now, the battle shifts to Liverpool, where the country's best team will be confident in its ability to overcome a one-goal deficit. Spurs enter as clear underdogs but must find a way to advance.

Semifinals (2nd Leg): Liverpool (0) vs. Tottenham Hotspur (1)

Date: Thursday, February 6
Time: 3:00 pm ET, 8:00 pm UK
Location: Anfield Stadium, Liverpool
TV: Paramount+ (USA), Sky Sports Main Event (UK)

Since the first leg, Liverpool has gone 5-1-1, with the lone defeat coming in a meaningless Champions League contest with a rotated lineup. With a Premier League title in sight and a strong European campaign underway, one might assume this competition sits lower on the priority list. Unfortunately for Spurs, there are no significant matches on Liverpool's immediate horizon, meaning Arne Slot is likely to field a strong XI at Anfield.

Both teams were relatively cautious in North London, though for different reasons. Tottenham's approach was shaped by a defense missing three of its four preferred starters, alongside a newly introduced Antonin Kinsky. Ange Postecoglou now has the opportunity of choosing from options like Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel, though plenty of important names like Micky van de Ven remain injured.

For Liverpool, the decision to play pragmatically was likely strategic — returning home with just a one-goal deficit seemed an acceptable trade-off. Having made that decision, Slot's side will now bring intensity reminiscent of December's league fixture. Players like Luis Diaz, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Dominik Szoboszlai were all absent from the first leg's starting lineup, but may be called upon Thursday with the objective more clear.

A few moments of greatness

Tottenham will not see much of the ball at Anfield. Liverpool will dominate possession, generate the bulk of the chances, and apply relentless pressure in Spurs' defensive third. That is a daunting prospect for cobbled-together squad; the number one priority is minimizing mistakes, especially with a lead to protect.

That said, Spurs must be willing to attack when opportunities arise and will not need much possession to be dangerous. Both Dominic Solanke's narrowly disallowed goal and Lucas Bergvall's successful strike in the first leg came via direct play over the top. Exploiting Liverpool's high press with quick, vertical attacks could be Tottenham's best path to maintaining the advantage.

If Spurs can capitalize on a pressing opponent and snatch an insurance goal, the tie will come down to their ability to weather the inevitable storm. Recent form does not inspire much confidence in their defensive resilience, but Tottenham has produced surprising performances against top teams this season. Postecoglou will need another one to keep his second-season trophy promise alive.

Liverpool fans will have seen the social media stories circling that both Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk signing a new contract, something Arne Slot was asked to comment on.

Speaking (via 90min.com), our head coach said: "We have some contractual situations that you don't probably don't know about.

"But Trent, Mo and Virgil haven't extended yet. So we are aware of the fact that we have to be sharp and ready for things that can happen.

"My life is mainly short term but we have so many quality people at this club that look at the longer term as well.

"You always have to be prepared for all the new things coming up.

"The players that don't play a big part at the moment; will they be able to do this another year? Will they fight for their place or will they [want to] go somewhere else?

"So we have to be prepared for the next window and what we can do."

The Dutchman doesn't really like to provide a direct answer on these topics, as it's not something he's directly involved in and prefers to allow time to pass.

However, confirmation that contracts have not been signed is a clear indication of the current situation and does debunk Robbie Fowler's theory.

Salah, Van Dijk and Trent have not yet signed a new contract Pictures via @MoSalah on X

John Barnes has stated that if he were in charge of the new deals, he would select our captain as the most important of the trio.

Many fans have their own opinions as to who they would or wouldn't allow to leave the club but it does feel that the overwhelming majority want all three to commit their future to staying on Merseyside.

You would assume the club can afford to do this but whether the financial model allows it is another question.

It's the same situation we've been in all campaign but we can take from this that no deals have yet been signed and it doesn't feel like we're close to them being done either.

Join our channel of readers on WhatsApp to get the day's top stories straight to your mobile

One year on: EOTK's tribute to Alex South – the former LFC defender who played with Liddell & Paisley

The post Arne Slot directly responds to rumours of Salah and Van Dijk’s new contracts being signed appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all out of contract in the summer, with Liverpool at risk of losing all three of their stars for nothing

Liverpool are set to face Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg tonight.

The Reds lost the away first leg 1-0 controversially courtesy of Lucas Bergvall's late goal but he really should’ve been sent off earlier.

Newcastle United have reached the final by beating Arsenal in the other semi-final so the winner of this tie will take on the Magpies at Wembley on 16th March.

As per team news, Joe Gomez and Diogo Jota have returned to full fitness after recovering from their injury problems but Trent Alexander-Arnold has sustained an issue since featuring against the Cherries. So, he has been ruled out.

Predicted Liverpool lineup vs Tottenham

Caoimhin Kelleher has been playing in the cup competitions but Alisson Becker started in the previous leg at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Brazilian may continue in goal for the hosts tonight.

Jarell Quansah has started all the Carabao Cup matches thus far this season but considering the importance of the fixture tonight, Ibrahima Konate is expected to be called upon to feature alongside Virgil van Dijk in the CB position.

Conor Bradley would replace injured Alexander-Arnold and Kostas Tsimikas might get the nod to start in the left-back position ahead of Andy Robertson.

Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister are likely to continue in the engine room with Dominik Szoboszlai in the CAM role. Therefore, Wataru Endo and Curtis Jones could be among the substitutes.

Cody Gakpo has also played all the League Cup games and should continue in his preferred left-wing position, while Mohamed Salah would be on the opposite side.

Luis Diaz may start again in the CF role, therefore, Darwin Nunez and Jota could feature off the bench if needed. Here is how Liverpool could line up vs Tottenham:

The post 4-2-3-1: How Liverpool could line up against Tottenham – Carabao Cup appeared first on Paisley Gates.

The Sky Sports campaign to try and destabilise Alexander Isak and get him out of Newcastle United is relentless, with the likes of Paul Merson and others, always willing to...

You can click here to read the full article.

Source