Liverpool boss Slot jokes Salah expects Man City relegation after ‘last game’ comment

The Manchester-based club, which has won six out of the past seven Premier League titles, is facing 115 charges related to the alleged breaches and, if found guilty, could face severe punishment, including the possibility of relegation from the English top flight.

Liverpool’s manager Arne Slot, right, embraces his player Mohamed Salah during a English Premier League match. | Photo Credit: AP

Liverpool manager Arne Slot joked on Tuesday that Mohamed Salah must have inside knowledge of Manchester City’s fate over alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules after the forward suggested he had played his final game at Anfield against the defending Premier league champion.

Liverpool defeated City 2-0 on Sunday to go nine points clear of second place Arsenal, while Pep Guardiola’s side is without a win in seven straight matches.

The Manchester-based club, which has won six out of the past seven Premier League titles, is facing 115 charges related to the alleged breaches and, if found guilty, could face severe punishment, including the possibility of relegation from the English top flight.

Salah, whose Liverpool future is uncertain with his contract expiring at the end of the season, has been at the centre of feverish speculation over his future.

Following the win over City, in which the Egypt international scored, he said it could have been his last home game against Pep Guardiola’s men.

“Probably until now this is the last City game I will play for Liverpool so I was just going to enjoy it,” Salah told Sky Sports after the match at Anfield.

“The atmosphere was incredible so I will enjoy every second here. Hopefully we just win the league and will see what will happen.”

Dutchman Slot, whose team have won 18 of their 20 matches in all competitions this season, has become an expert in side-stepping questions on the contract situations of Salah, captain Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold and on this occasion chose to make a joke out of it.

“Maybe Mo knows more about the 115 charges, so he expects them not to be in the Premier League next season,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

“I do expect them in the Premier League. No, the boring answer is always the same. This is not the place, for me, to talk about Mo’s contract.

“Maybe I’ve said already too much, that would probably get the headlines. But it was a joke. I repeat, a joke!”

Owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, a key figure in Abu Dhabi, the leading principality in the seven-strong federation, the United Arab Emirates, City strongly deny the charges.

(With inputs from AFP)