Former Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren has launched a astonishing attack on former Liverpool head coach Arne Slot, claiming Mohamed Salah would still be a Liverpool player if the Dutchman had left Anfield sooner.
Anfield chiefs endured a tumultuous campaign last season as the relationship between star forward Salah and head coach Slot completely broke down. Both men have now departed Merseyside for pastures new, but the fallout from their frosty dynamic continues to rumble on.
Salah openly called out his head coach during the season, admitting that he simply didn’t have a relationship with Slot, before taking another subtle dig at his boss in the spring.
Now, Lovren has added major fuel to the fire. Speaking exclusively to Winwin, the Croatian centre-back insisted that his close friend would have extended his stay at Anfield had Liverpool parted ways with Slot earlier.
“Only an idiot would say we don’t need him”
Lovren pulled no punches when discussing Salah’s exit, firmly placing the blame on the managerial situation.
“Yeah, 100 percent was going to stay,” Lovren revealed. “Believe me, it would’ve been 100 percent. 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.”
he former Reds defender didn’t stop there. He pulled back the curtain on the toxic dynamic inside the AXA Training Centre, contrasting Slot’s regime with the legendary tenure of Jürgen Klopp.
“I don’t think it’s management, I think it’s just one person, and I think it’s just the coach,” Lovren added. “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 (with Slot) everything was the opposite.”
Lovren dismisses Slot’s Anfield impact
While some pundits praised Slot’s tactical transition, Lovren dismissed the notion that the Dutchman deserved credit for Salah’s continued output on the pitch.
“It’s that simple, and everyone knows that because when you look at the previous eight or nine seasons, they’ve done really well,” Lovren said. “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.”
ReadLiverpoolFC Verdict
This represents a damning assessment from Lovren, who remains one of Salah’s closest confidants in football. While fans knew tension existed between Salah and Slot, Lovren’s comments confirm that the relationship had turned completely toxic behind the scenes.
Liverpool supporters will find it incredibly bitter to swallow that the club lost one of its greatest-ever players because of a personality clash with a manager who has also now left.
Slot inherited a finely-tuned machine from Jürgen Klopp, and while he maintained results on the pitch, his inability to manage the biggest ego in the dressing room ultimately cost Liverpool another year of Mohamed Salah. It is a sad, avoidable end to a legendary Anfield career.
