Salah Says He Cannot Be ‘Selfish’ to Discuss His Liverpool Contract Situation

05 April 2022, Portugal, Lisbon: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah greets manager Jurgen Klopp as he leaves the field of play during the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg match between Benfica and Liverpool at the Estadio da Luz. (dpa)
05 April 2022, Portugal, Lisbon: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah greets manager Jurgen Klopp as he leaves the field of play during the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg match between Benfica and Liverpool at the Estadio da Luz. (dpa)
TT

Salah Says He Cannot Be ‘Selfish’ to Discuss His Liverpool Contract Situation

05 April 2022, Portugal, Lisbon: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah greets manager Jurgen Klopp as he leaves the field of play during the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg match between Benfica and Liverpool at the Estadio da Luz. (dpa)
05 April 2022, Portugal, Lisbon: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah greets manager Jurgen Klopp as he leaves the field of play during the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg match between Benfica and Liverpool at the Estadio da Luz. (dpa)

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah said he cannot be "selfish" and discuss his contract situation at Liverpool, with the Premier League club focused on winning trophies.

Liverpool are second in the league on 72 points, one point below leaders Manchester City. The two teams are due to meet in Sunday's match that could potentially decide the fate of the title race with eight rounds left.

The Merseyside club won the League Cup in February and are in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, having also reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup to remain on track for an unprecedented haul of four trophies this season.

Salah's contract expires in June 2023 and negotiations over a new deal have been going on for a long time. British media reported the Egypt international is close to agreeing a deal with the club to keep him until the end of his career.

"I can't be selfish and talk about my situation," Salah told Sky Sports. "We are in the most important period for the team so I have to just talk about the team, focus on what is coming with the team and that is the most important thing."

Asked if he was confident a new contract would be sorted out, Salah said: "I can't say yes, I can't say no but I have said many times before about what I want.

"But again, I can't go deep into my contract now because it is a really sensitive situation.

"The team need to win and I can't be just going into the news and just talking about my contract. I just focus with the team, and that is it."

Salah, a prolific forward and key player for Liverpool, has scored more than 150 goals for the club since joining from AS Roma in 2017.



Microphones Would Have Solved Off-Court Coaching Issue, Says Fritz

Taylor Fritz oh USA celebrates his victory against Daniil Medvedev of Russia during the ATP Finals 2024 in Turin, Italy, 10 November 2024. (EPA)
Taylor Fritz oh USA celebrates his victory against Daniil Medvedev of Russia during the ATP Finals 2024 in Turin, Italy, 10 November 2024. (EPA)
TT

Microphones Would Have Solved Off-Court Coaching Issue, Says Fritz

Taylor Fritz oh USA celebrates his victory against Daniil Medvedev of Russia during the ATP Finals 2024 in Turin, Italy, 10 November 2024. (EPA)
Taylor Fritz oh USA celebrates his victory against Daniil Medvedev of Russia during the ATP Finals 2024 in Turin, Italy, 10 November 2024. (EPA)

Taylor Fritz believes the tennis authorities should have clamped down hard on off-court coaching rather than change the rules to allow it, saying it takes away from the sport's unique appeal.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) will allow off-court coaching from 2025 following trials at the four Grand Slams and ATP and WTA Tour events since 2023.

Fritz, who won his opening match at the ATP Finals on Sunday, thinks organizers have been bullied into the change.

"I think as far as it should go with the coach talking to you is giving you encouragement, saying, 'great shot, good job, keep going, keep fighting' stuff like that," the American told reporters in Turin after his win over Daniil Medvedev.

"I think when it gets into strategic, like 'back up, hit it this way more, cover this', I don't think that's (right).

"I think a lot of the reason they made this rule in the first place is they were almost in a way bullied into it because people would just break the rules anyway and coach anyway."

Fritz, who is at a career-high world number five, said the simple fix would have been to use microphones in coaching boxes.

"I think there should be mics in the boxes. I think there should be someone monitoring the mics. It should be very, very strict to where if anything goes past just encouragement, immediately you're penalized," he said.

"That's how you fix it. That's how you have no coaching. Players have to figure things out on their own. That's, like I said, one of the great things about tennis.

"It would be insane if someone could come on the court for you and serve, right? So why can someone tell you what to do?"

Fritz will face home favorite and world number one Jannik Sinner in his second group match on Tuesday.