“It’s not going to work” – CBS pundit issues bizarre broadside at Mo Salah after Liverpool return

Upon his return to action for Liverpool on Wednesday night, Troy Deeney claimed that Mo Salah should be sold before the end of the January transfer window.

Having linked up with his club this week after helping Egypt to the semi-finals at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the 33-year-old was handed his first start for the Reds in almost two months as they swept aside Marseille 3-0 in the Champions League.

Shortly before leaving for Morocco in December, the winger had given an explosive interview in which he said that his relationship with Arne Slot had deteriorated, although he featured for most of the 2-0 win over Brighton immediately prior to his departure for AFCON.

Deeney urges Liverpool to sell Salah this month

Speaking on CBS Sports Golazo on Wednesday night, Deeney praised Salah’s overall contribution throughout his time at Liverpool but believes that it’d be for the best if the Egyptian were moved on before the end of the January transfer window.

The former Watford striker said: “I think with the noise surrounding him, the ego surrounding him, where Liverpool are trying to move on, I just think it’s not going to work long-term for the pair of them [Salah and Slot].

“Let’s call as it is – he’s been fantastic. He’s been arguably the best Liverpool player for a generation, next to Steven Gerrard, but he’s just unfortunate that time has gone on and they need to just part ways now. I’d like to see it be dealt with quicker rather than later before it gets ugly.”

"It's not going to work long-term for the pair of them… They need to just part ways now." @T_Deeney has his say on Mohamed Salah's future at Liverpool pic.twitter.com/ZmfMLMjxHn

— CBS Sports Golazo (@CBSSportsGolazo) January 22, 2026

When asked if Salah should be sold in the summer, Deeney replied: “I mean in January. I think so, because everyone’s forgetting it was only just before Christmas where it was all bad, it was all terrible, the club have betrayed him.

“They played one game, he was saying goodbye to everyone, let him go to AFCON – now he comes back and you’re starting to see the rumbles again. These 13 games unbeaten, he hasn’t been a huge part of it. That’s all I’m saying.”

Not a chance will Liverpool offload Salah in January

This is a frankly bizarre take from Deeney for a number of reasons.

Firstly, while Salah was culpable of missing a couple of chances last night that he’d gobble up with ease when at his best, his performance in Marseille certainly wasn’t that of a player going through the motions or letting his ‘ego’ take over.

As for the ‘rumbles’ that the ex-Watford striker mentioned…what rumbles? The Egyptian’s reintegration at Liverpool was seamless, and Slot’s post-match verdict offered firm reassurance that what happened at Elland Road a few weeks ago is now water under the bridge.

Furthermore, the Reds aren’t in a position to let any of their forwards leave in January, never mind a legendary figure who’s the third-highest scorer in the club’s 134-year history. Alexander Isak has already been ruled out until March at the earliest, and Federico Chiesa sustained an injury in the warm-up before the match last night.

How did Salah perform in his first game back for Liverpool?

There were mixed verdicts on Salah’s performance against Marseille.

The Liverpool Echo‘s Paul Gorst felt that the 33-year-old ‘more than played his part’ and that a return to full sharpness ‘will come in time’, although The Athletic‘s Tim Spiers wrote that a late miscued shot from the winger ‘summed up a disappointing evening’ in which he was ‘a little off-kilter’.

The statistics from Sofascore would suggest that the Egyptian had a subdued performance, having made just 13 successful passes and won two duels in 90 minutes on the pitch, while also failing to record a shot on target and taking only 28 touches.

It certainly wasn’t vintage Salah, but there were enough positives from him overall to indicate that any rift with Slot is firmly behind him. Despite what Deeney says, we can take it as read that Liverpool won’t be offloading their number 11 in the next fortnight.

You can watch Slot’s full post-Marseille press conference below, via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:

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