Mo Salah has previously represented Egypt at the Olympics (Image: Getty)
Arne Slot looks set to be tasked with overcoming two tricky situations this summer at Liverpool due to the Olympic Games.
The Dutchman is keen to bolster his squad this summer, though he may not be given a true opportunity to see what he is working with as a handful of players have aspirations of representing their countries in Paris.
Wataru Endo is among those who hope to be granted permission by Liverpool to compete at the Olympics, though he recently revealed that the situation is yet to be resolved and he is still in the dark on the matter.
Asked by ABEMA Sports Time whether he will be involved in the Paris Games, Endo said: “I’m also kind of wondering what will happen. Nothing has been decided yet. But my stance is that if I’m selected, I’d like to go.”
According to This Is Anfield, those in Endo’s camp expect their client to be granted permission to travel to Paris – though that could spell bad news for Mohamed Salah given that he hopes of to feature at the Games, according to Egyptian Football Association (EFA) president Gamal Allam.
Egypt are keen to call up the winger for their side, though his importance within Liverpool’s preparation for the 2023/24 campaign may be trickier to ignore for Slot which could see a row ignite between Liverpool and the Egyptian FA again.
Wataru Endo is keen to represent Japan (Image: Getty)
Salah competed at the 2012 Games in London but was blocked by the higher powers at Anfield, as well as Jurgen Klopp, from travelling to Tokyo in 2021 as they did not want to part ways with the former Roma star for such an extended period of time.
With Slot keen to make an impression and Salah in the latter stages of his career, allowing both the forward as well as Endo to head to France appears to be the likeliest of routes for all parties – though nothing is set in stone at this stage.
Salah was also caught in between a club vs country row earlier this year after Liverpool and the EFA were at loggerheads over an injury he sustained at the Africa Cup of Nations. The winger left the competition after sustaining a hamstring problem and returned to Liverpool to recover.
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Arne Slot has two big decisions to make at Liverpool already (Image: Getty)
Egypt were keen to conduct their own checks on the forward though as they were hoping that he could feature in the latter stages of the competition. However, they grew frustrated at Salah being made ‘unreachable’.
If Salah is granted permission to compete for Egypt – which may repair Liverpool’s relationship with their FA – then it could be viewed as an incentive for the Reds to dip their toe into the transfer market. The higher powers at Anfield are keen to bring in a right-sided forward to provide an alternative option on the wing and Salah’s absence will highlight how pressing of a matter that priority is.
