Liverpool picked up yet another win on Saturday to make it 13 out of 15 this season.
The Reds could not have asked for a better start to the campaign as they go on the hunt for more trophies.
In reality, few had expected Arne Slot to make quite so big an impression having taken over from Jurgen Klopp this summer.
Things have not been perfect, as the Anfield loss against Nottingham Forest illustrates, but by and large Liverpool are looking good.
Slot deserves immense credit for that. Coming to the Premier League from the Dutch Eredivisie has proven the downfall of many coaches and players alike. But the 46-year-old has handled things impeccably.
One thing that Slot would rather not have inherited, however, is the uncertainty over star forward Mohamed Salah. And as Salah’s contract situation rumbles on, the Liverpool head coach has drawn some criticism.
Chris Sutton questions Arne Slot silence
After he hit the winning goal against Brighton on Saturday, there has been plenty of chatter about Salah’s future again this week.
The Egyptian is still proving himself to be the key man in Liverpool’s attack this season and on this kind of form it’s a no-brainer for the Reds to keep him.
However, with just eight months now remaining on Salah’s contract, nobody yet knows whether he’ll stay. Part of the reason for that mystery has been Slot’s refusal to give any public updates. And speaking to BBC 5 Live’s Monday Night Club, former players Chris Sutton and Shay Given have questioned the Dutchman’s approach.
“Why is Arne Slot not talking about this?” queried Sutton. “I’ve not heard him talk about this, he’s sort of Liverpool manager, that does actually count.”
READ MORE: Jamie Carragher insists Liverpool did something against Brighton that Arne Slot ‘doesn’t want‘
“He’s not even come out after a game and been strong or anything,” Given agreed. “He’s just sort of sat on the fence a bit hasn’t he. He must have some say or input to go ‘we want to keep Mo Salah way beyond this season’.”
“Managers can think about two things at times,” Sutton weighed in. “They can maybe look at next season and go ‘well it might be an idea to keep our best player’.
“The longer this goes on, these debates are going to keep coming up until something happens either way and with things going so well as they are at Liverpool, in many respects the quicker Liverpool deal with the contract situation then maybe the better for them.”
What’s the latest with Mohamed Salah?
The more Salah impresses with Liverpool this season, the more this kind of conversation is going to come up.
In reality, the Egyptian’s contract is not really a whole lot to do with Slot.
Yes, obviously the boss can give his input, but in reality the decision will lie with the Liverpool owners and Salah himself.
At the moment, we appear no closer to discovering which way this one will go, despite the clock ticking down. For now, there’s nothing to report.
Once there is, we’re sure that Slot will be one of the first to comment on it. But until then, there’s no use him shooting off publicly about it.
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