Liverpool’s Egyptian striker #11 Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on February 23, 2025. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
Arne Slot says Mohamed Salah will have a “far better chance” of winning the Ballon d’Or if runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool win silverware this season.
The Egyptian superstar, 32, is the favourite to win the award, regarded as the top individual prize in football, after a sensational campaign so far.
Salah, who is yet to sign a new deal to keep him at Anfield beyond the end of this season, has scored 30 goals and provided 21 assists in all competitions during the current campaign.
But Liverpool manager Slot said Tuesday that despite those stellar numbers, the club need to win major trophies to help their forward win his first Ballon d’Or.
“It’s a good thing that Mo is in the discussion because it means he does well and it means we are doing well,” the Dutchman said on Tuesday.
Liverpool’s Egyptian striker #11 Mohamed Salah (R) shoots past Manchester City’s Croatian defender #24 Josko Gvardiol but has his shot saved during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on February 23, 2025. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
“But for him to stay in that discussion, he should bring in the same performances as he’s done for seven or eight months now.
“And I think, in general, someone that wins the Ballon d’Or needs to win something as well, so it’s a great challenge that is in front of us, but also in front of him.”
Liverpool, who host Newcastle on Wednesday, are 11 points clear of second-placed Arsenal at the top of the Premier League with 11 games to go but Slot said he does not fear complacency.
“We all know these players are so long in this competition, even much longer than me, so they know how difficult every single game is, and if you have to play 11, it’s still a long way to go,” he said.
Liverpool’s Dutch manager Arne Slot celebrates at the end of the English Premier League football match between Aston Villa and Liverpool at Villa Park in Birmingham, central England on February 19, 2025. Aston Villa and Liverpool equalised 2 – 2. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
Liverpool are also in the final of the League Cup, where they will face Newcastle again, and will meet Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Slot was asked at his pre-match press conference whether Salah’s current form could be compared with that of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi at their peak but he shied away from direct comparisons.
“He (Salah) has had some outstanding seasons here at Liverpool, and we hope he can continue this for a longer period of time, but to do that he first has to extend his contract of course,” he said.
The Liverpool boss was also asked whether Salah’s red-hot form would make it easier or more difficult for the club to agree a new deal.
“You can look at it in both ways,” he said. “You can say the better he does, the more expensive he might become, and if he does really worse, we would have second thoughts if we wanted to extend his contract.
“So I think for everyone it’s the best that he brings in the performances he does now. Maybe only for the one that has to pay him it’s not the best, but for everyone else it’s the best.”
The Super Eagles of Nigeria are set to lose talented defender Michael Kayode to the Italian senior team, report has indicated.
Kayode has been one of the best defenders in the Premier League since last season. He joined Brentford from Fiorentina in 2025, and he has been a consistent performer ever since.
Last season, he featured in 37 games, contributing one goal and one assist. He was a solid rock at the back and became famous for his long throws, which consistently caused trouble for opponents and led to goals for his club.
However, Nigeria had taken notice of Kayode since his days at Fiorentina, and there have long been calls to draft him into the national team setup.
The obstacle, however, has been that the 22-year-old currently plays for the Italian youth setup. Although he has Nigerian roots, he is eligible for Italy because he was born there and obtained his citizenship when he turned 18.
Consequently, he has represented them at the Under-18, Under-19, and Under-21 levels. Still, there was hope that as long as he did not feature for the senior team, he would remain eligible to play for the Super Eagles.
Those hopes are now set to be dashed, as he has been called up to the Italian senior team for the upcoming international break.
They take on Belgium, Turkey, and France in their opening fixtures of the new UEFA Nations League, and if Kayode features in those games, under FIFA rules, he will no longer be eligible to play for Nigeria even if he later decides to switch allegiances.
According to Sport, Bernardo Silva is gradually losing his place at Real Madrid, having started only once in the last five La Liga matches.
In the last two La Liga rounds, Bernardo Silva featured for only 8 minutes: he did not play against Elche and came on as a late substitute against Atlético Madrid, providing an assist for Rüdiger’s goal. Meanwhile, Barcelona, who were close to signing him this summer, are leading La Liga and play a style that suits him better.
The 32-year-old Portuguese midfielder can negotiate with any club after his contract with Manchester City expires. Although he wanted to join Barcelona, his wage demands and insistence on being an undisputed starter failed to convince Flick, who could not guarantee him regular playing time given the fierce competition in Barcelona’s midfield.
A few days ago, Deco admitted that Bernardo was a candidate Barcelona considered this summer. The Barcelona sporting director said: “We have our own criteria, and he is not in the position we are looking for. Moreover, there are economic issues and playing time involved; he wants to play. If his opinion differs from ours, there’s nothing we can do.”
Bernardo Silva also attracted attention from Atlético Madrid, but ultimately chose to join Real Madrid. He started in the first two LaLiga matches against Espanyol and Real Sociedad, but his playing time significantly decreased before the international break, starting only one of the last five league matches—Real Madrid’s 4-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano. In the Champions League, he was unavailable due to suspension against Inter Milan.
Cole Palmer is set to withdraw from the England squad, with Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo also doubts to join up with Thomas Tuchel‘s camp.
Palmer, who was recalled by Tuchel last week after he was left out of England’s squad for the World Cup, is reportedly dealing with a small injury, though he completed Chelsea’s 3-0 defeat to Brentford on Friday night.
The 24-year-old has featured in all five of Chelsea’s Premier League matches this term but struggled with injuries in a disrupted campaign last season, recently saying during a Twitch stream that he “had one leg for 10 months”.
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick confirmed Rashford picked up an “issue” when during the 1-1 draw at Fulham on Sunday, with the forward substituted while appearing to be struggling with his hip – which was a persistent issue over the summer.
Midfielder Mainoo, who travelled to this summer’s World Cup but did not play a single minute of the tournament under Tuchel, was also substituted during the closing stages of the draw at Craven Cottage.
England will play four matches over the newly expanded three-week international break, kicking off against World Cup winners Spain at Wembley on Saturday 26 September. That is followed by trips to Czech Republic and Croatia, before concluding the set of Nations League games against the Czech Republic at Wembley on Tuesday 6 October.
