Liverpool: Saudi Arabia move for Mohamed Salah not a worry – Jurgen Klopp

LONDON (Agencies): Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is not concerned about the possibility of forward Mohamed Salah being targeted by Saudi Arabian clubs in January.

The Reds rejected a £150m bid for the 31-year-old before the Premier League transfer window shut on 1 September and there were no further moves before Saudi Arabia’s closed six days later.

However, Saudi Pro League director of football Michael Emenalo has said the door is not closed on a move for Salah.

“You are kidding me, yeah?” said Klopp.

“A week after we close the transfer window, you ask about the January transfer window?

“Obviously, you can’t wait until December to ask these questions. We will see what happens. Until then, I’m not worried in this moment. “I didn’t even think about it until you opened that wound again. No, I’m not worried.”

No bad blood with Henderson

Klopp, speaking before his side’s trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers (1230 BST) on Saturday, also addressed former captain Jordan Henderson saying he did not feel wanted by Liverpool prior to moving to Al-Ettifaq in the summer.

Henderson had been with the Reds since signing from Sunderland in 2011 and made 492 appearances for the club, becoming captain and winning seven major titles including the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and EFL Cup.

“If one of those people [at Liverpool] said to me, ‘we want you to stay’, then we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” said Henderson earlier this month. “Now, that’s not to say they forced me out of the club or they were saying they wanted me to leave but at no point did I feel wanted by the club or anyone to stay.”

Henderson moved to Saudi Arabia after Liverpool brought in midfielders Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai early in the summer transfer window.

“I read it after I heard about it. ‘Hendo’ said the truth in all departments,” said Klopp.
“We had our talks. I told ‘Hendo’ I wanted him to stay but I had to talk in these conversations about the possibility of him not playing regularly.

“If ‘Hendo’ would have performed, he would have had maybe 50 games. Absolutely fine and possible. “The relationship we had, I thought it was important that we speak about everything, and that means ‘what happens if…’.

“‘Hendo’ is fantastic player, I will love him forever and he is a super guy but he is not great when he is not playing. “He was my captain and I said I wanted to talk about it now because I didn’t want to wake up one morning and we were locking horns because he thought he would be starting and I was telling him he would not be.
“In Hendo’s ear and mind that came out as ‘he doesn’t want me here’.

“What he said is that if I would’ve told him, ‘Hendo, stay here, you will be the main man in midfield’ and stuff like this he would have stayed. That’s the truth – but I couldn’t say that.

“As much as I wanted him to stay, I couldn’t say that and that’s why it is better ‘Hendo’ moved on. “There’s not a bit of bad blood or whatever.”