Liverpool might be Premier League champions but the glow of last season has worn off under Arne Slot. Sixteen months in and he’s shown no interest in sentiment or status. His message is clear: play his way or be left behind.
By October 2025 three big names — Mohamed Salah, Alexis Mac Allister and Ibrahima Konaté — have found themselves fighting to prove themselves. Each situation is different but all three hint at a power shift inside Slot’s Liverpool.
3 Liverpool players in Arne Slot's doghouse
Federico Chiesa
Federico Chiesa’s move to Liverpool in August 2024 was supposed to be the kickstart of his career after a tough period blighted by an ACL injury. But his transition to the Premier League has been far from smooth. He’s shown glimpses of his quality, like scoring in the 2025–26 season opener against Bournemouth, but can’t seem to get a consistent run in the team under Arne Slot.
He’s recently told Liverpool he wants to go back to Italy and Serie A clubs, particularly Napoli, are interested. Napoli are considering him as a reinforcement for their attack. OneFootball But Liverpool have no intention of selling him at the moment.
Granted, Chiesa has performed well recently when given opportunities (those opportunities being a rarity), contributing to goal-scoring opportunities. But this does feel like a case of terminal lucidity.
With limited opportunities at Liverpool and interest from Serie A clubs, Chiesa and Arne Slot have a big decision to make for January. The next few months will be crucial in determining if he can get back into the fold at Anfield or if returning to Italy is a reality.
Mohamed Salah
It still feels so wrong to see Mohamed Salah on the bench. For nearly a decade he’s been the symbol of reliability, professionalism and goals — the man who carried Liverpool through every era. His current situation is both surprising and painful.
Slot left Salah out of the starting lineup for Liverpool’s Champions League win away to Eintracht Frankfur. This was the second consecutive game in the Champions League he didn’t start, after Galatasaray. This was the end of a long run of starts in this exact competition.
ESPN reported the decision came after a five-game goal drought, a drought by Salah’s standards. Liverpool won 5–1 and played some of their best football of the season without him.
Slot said it was tactical, but it felt like more. When the cameras caught Salah heading straight down the tunnel at full-time. This gesture was unusual and out of character for the Egyptian.
This is, after all, THE Mo Salah — the man with over 240 goals for Liverpool and a reputation built on consistency. To imagine him sitting out for long stretches is almost impossible. Yet Slot’s system demands collective movement and pressing over individual freedom and Salah’s form hasn’t matched his legacy.
Nobody is pretending everything’s ok. As much as to hurts to write, he isn’t the untouchable player he once was with Arne Slot. But Mo Salah will always have too much value — on the pitch and off — to be completely forgotten, but the best players also have difficult periods.
This could be the moment where Salah’s story with Liverpool starts to close.
Alexis Mac Allister
Alexis Mac Allister’s story is less dramatic but just as important. After shining last season, he went into this one short of fitness. Slot said earlier in October that Mac Allister’s conditioning was “not ideal” due to a disrupted pre-season and a heavy summer.
In a high-intensity system, even a small fitness gap is magnified. Mac Allister’s passing is still crisp but his pressing numbers have dropped, and Liverpool’s midfield looks one pace slow when he starts. Slot has rotated freely and with Curtis Jones, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo all pushing for minutes, the competition is fierce.
Encouragingly, Mac Allister found his form again with Argentina during the October break and scored twice in a friendly. Not sure that will carry into domestic form. For now, he sits in that uncomfortable on the edge.