Mohamed Salah is a player every aspiring footballer ought to look up to and and that was not lost on Arne Slot during pre-season.
Slot did not have an easy task when it came to taking over at Liverpool last summer, but that comparisons to his predecessor are now few and far between speak to his immediate success.
He has proven incredibly honest and stoic throughout his time at Anfield so far and he wasted little time in communicating that to the club’s key players, including Salah.
Talking to NBC Sports after Sunday’s title celebrations, Salah was asked if Slot’s understanding of each player is a key part of his coaching, and he offered the perfect early example.
“Absolutely,” Salah responded. “He asks you immediately what he wants you to do, and if you don’t do it he asks you again.
“In pre-season I remember he got a few clips of me in the warm-up – it’s the warm-up!
“I was doing like this [keepie uppies] and he was like, ‘What is that? Look at that, you have young players behind you and all of them follow’.
“He is very honest and speaks to you right away. I think that makes a huge, huge difference.”
It is perhaps a small detail in the bigger picture but Slot quickly recognised how influential the Egyptian is over the full squad, whether he was actively aware of it or not.
This is what we wanted to deliver to our fans more than anything. This is a club that should always compete for everything and be right at the top. No excuses. All teams win games but in the end there’s only one champion. That’s what history remembers and this applies to next… pic.twitter.com/pT9QZAc4Z9
— Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) April 29, 2025
That Slot had no hesitation in pointing out what was occurring clearly left an imprint on Salah, who has since gone on to lead by example but also with a growing voice demanding more success.
It is no secret that young players look up to Salah, Andy Robertson explained that “I have seen so many players come in and all of a sudden they’re in the gym early before training, and that’s because of him [Salah].”
It is why Salah’s contract extension until 2027 was hugely significant, not only for setting the standards in the short term but also for leaving a lasting legacy on what it takes to make it to the top and stay there.
In the Egyptian, Slot has a player he can trust to lead by example and that will be hugely important ahead of a summer anticipated to welcome further change in the dressing room.
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