During Liverpool’s frustrating 2-2 draw against West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday, manager Jurgen Klopp and forward Mohamed Salah were observed engaged in what appeared to be a tense conversation on the touchline. The dropped points all but guarantee that Liverpool will not clinch the title this season, yet Klopp declined to comment on the nature of their disagreement.
The incident unfolded as Salah, who had been left out of the starting lineup following criticism of his performance in Wednesday’s Merseyside derby, was awaiting his introduction with 11 minutes remaining at The London Stadium.
Klopp had walked over to speak to the forward, sparking a reaction from the Egyptian. Salah then continued to speak in Klopp’s direction, raising his arms in apparent frustration, after the German had walked away, before teammate Darwin Núñez, who was also set to be introduced as a substitute, intervened to end the eyebrow-raising exchange.
Speaking after the match, Klopp did not say what the incident was about but told TNT Sports: “We spoke already in the dressing room. For me, that’s done.”
Source: X @Fabrizio Romano
After the match had concluded and the two clubs shared the points, reporters waited in the mixed zone for Salah to speak on the incident and his late-season struggles. Instead, Salah walked by reporters refusing to speak — which is well within his right — but he gave a small nugget of emotion which served to ignite further speculation of a rift between the Egyptian and his manager.
As he walked by, Salah refused to stop and talk with reporters, explaining that he did not wish to take questions because “there’s going to be fire today if I speak.” When one reporter asked “fire?” Salah continued walking and said “yes, of course.”
Clearly still on an emotional high from the incident, Salah’s small morsel of frustration feels like an indication that all is not well down the stretch of a taxing season.”
Klopp will leave at the end of the season, and Liverpool has reached an agreement this week to compensate Feyenoord up to £9.4m for their manager, Arne Slot.
Speculation also surrounds the future of Salah, who has amassed 210 goals in 346 appearances over seven years at Liverpool, with his contract set to expire at the end of next season. Previous rumors linked him to a move to Saudi Arabia last season, and these speculations have resurfaced once again.