Following a spat between Jurgen Klopp and Mohamed Salah during Liverpool’s 2-2 draw at West Ham, more footage of the incident has emerged.
Klopp was preparing to make a triple substitution late into Saturday’s clash at the London Stadium when he was seen in a heated exchange with Salah.
Salah was set to enter the pitch along with Joe Gomez and Darwin Nunez, but not before the visibly frustrated No. 11 made his feelings clear to the manager.
The situation was picked up by TNT Sports and subsequently went viral, with Salah’s comments to journalists afterwards making headlines after Klopp had looked to downplay concerns.
Another angle pic.twitter.com/EE6IvxFOIU
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Now, two more angles of the row – one from the stands – give more background, as Salah initially appeared to ignore his manager’s attempted handshake.
He then offered a quick handshake before turning away from Klopp again, with the German clearly upset and gesturing back to the bench, before giving the usual hugs to Gomez and Nunez.
— hae (@drwnunez) April 28, 2024
West Ham scored while the substitutes waited to enter the field, and the manager had choice words for his forward in the buildup.
This was caught by live broadcast, but with additional footage it is evident that the problem started earlier than Michail Antonio’s equaliser.
According to The Athletic‘s James Pearce, Salah was “annoyed that he had remained on the bench for so long,” which came in his third time as a substitute in the last six games.
He was also brought off after 66 minutes in the 1-0 win over Atalanta during that run, and has been noticeably frustrated when substituted in recent months.
Salah scored just once in those six games – the penalty against Atalanta – with only two goals and no assists in his last eight, having been in exceptional form prior to his injuries.
The flareup with Klopp has led to further speculation over a move away from Liverpool this summer, though that would clearly not be linked to the manager, who himself is departing.
Whether a move to the Saudi Pro League presents itself again remains to be seen, as does whether he would be open to leaving and his club open to selling.
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