Mohamed Salah and worrying signs of 'high salary syndrome'

There is no denying that it was Jurgen Klopp who turned Mohamed Salah into a superstar. The German brought to Liverpool a player who had never scored 20 goals in a season, then turned him into a super striker who always scored more than 20 goals in a season, and in 8 full seasons with The Reds, reached 245 goals in 401 matches.

However, the relationship between Salah and Klopp was not so sweet, especially in the German coach's final year at Anfield. The two were often tense on the pitch, then argued in the dressing room. At some point, Salah's role was downgraded, even opening up speculation about a breakup.

However, everything changed with the arrival of Arne Slot. The Dutch coach stressed to the sporting director Richard Hughes that he wanted to keep Salah at all costs. Finally, Liverpool agreed a new deal with a salary of up to 400,000 pounds a week, allowing Salah to continue to stay at Anfield until 2027.

Salah repaid Slot with 34 goals and 22 assists in all competitions, helping Liverpool win the Premier League. He himself became the first player in the tournament to win all three awards, including Player of the Season, Top Scorer and Assist King.

Few expected Salah’s story to take another turn. He was benched against Galatasaray, then left out of the starting lineup against Frankfurt. Worst of all, the Reds’ performance in Frankfurt showed that they were better without Salah. Slot’s team scored five goals and ended a four-game losing streak in all competitions.

Liverpool’s poor form has clearly been linked to Salah, who has failed to score in six games in the past month. The Egyptian’s wobbly form has actually started towards the end of last season. Since signing a new contract on 11/14, he has scored just five goals in 20 games. Liverpool fans must be shuddering at the prospect of Salah following in the footsteps of stars who have fallen off the wagon as soon as they start earning big salaries, such as Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil at Arsenal and Marcus Rashford at Manchester United.

...and the cold handshake this season between Salah and Slot.

Slot had the courage to drop Salah in two Champions League games, but will he do the same in the Premier League? Will he dare to dismiss Salah, who sat on a red silk throne at Anfield as he announced a new contract with a surreal salary?

Before the match against Brentford, Slot said he wanted to see Salah's anger at being benched, which is expected to turn into motivation for him to regain his peak form. He also did not forget to warn, "if you accept being on the bench, that is also the time when the opportunity to assert your position slips away".

Of course, both Slot and Liverpool fans were expecting a positive reaction. Only Salah is doing the opposite. Almost immediately after the final whistle in Frankfurt, the Egyptian star deleted all references to Liverpool from his X profile. This is definitely not a good sign.