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Mohamed Salah gets hit with ‘toxic’ tag by Saudi chief
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- Mohamed Salah gets hit with ‘toxic’ tag by Saudi chief
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Mohamed Salah 's frustration at Liverpool reached a new level after he told reporters the club had "thrown him under the bus" during a stretch where he came off the bench for a third straight match, per soccer365. His comments after the 3-3 draw at Leeds United created immediate tension as he claimed his relationship with Arne Slot had broken.
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Liverpool followed that with a firm decision. Salah did not travel to Italy for the club's 1-0 win over Inter Milan. Talks about a possible move revived fast, especially with reports of Antoine Semenyo sitting near the top of Liverpool's potential January plans.
Saudi chief questions Salah's value
With speculation growing, Saudi Pro League club owner Ben Harburg offered a blunt reaction when asked about a move for Salah. He pushed back at the idea and pointed toward concerns he already held.
"I do think there's already, even amongst the public, much more apprehension around his coming into the league," Harburg said. He described issues tied to age and production. "He's 33 years old, he got paid a boatload a year or so ago, whatever it was, and has underperformed massively since then."
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Harburg also questioned the attitude Salah showed. "He doesn't strike me as a great team player. As an owner, when I look at the way he behaved there, if a player isn't performing, they're not going to be in the starting line up. We don't put people in the starting line up based on what they did three seasons ago."
"Toxic" label creates sharper debate
From there, Harburg delivered his strongest line. "All that, to me, combines for a fairly toxic combination of factors. So I would rather he not come here. I'm sure some people like his star power, he's from the region, but my sentiment is that he is not a fit for our league."
He ended by naming the type of player he prefers. "If it were between him and Vinicius, I'd take Vinicius. I'm hoping we go after those 25-year-old next wave players rather than guys like Salah."
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