Liverpool manager Arne Slot confirmed that he had considered Mohamed Salah’s absence between December and January due to his participation in the Africa Cup of Nations with the Egyptian national team, and he also identified the player who would replace him on the right wing.
The Africa Cup of Nations is scheduled to begin in Morocco on December 21 and run until January 18, 2026. If Egypt reaches the final, Salah will miss a maximum of six matches for Liverpool.
Slot commented, “We certainly thought about Salah’s absence and prepared for him by signing Jeremie Frimpong. We believe he can play at right-back as well as on the right wing.”
He added, “It may seem like Salah won’t be out for long—a maximum of six matches—but in reality, that’s a very long period in the Premier League, so we had to find a replacement.”
He concluded, “We signed Frimpong for several reasons, one of which is that he can replace Mohamed Salah if he’s not available. There are other options to replace him, but Jeremy is definitely one of them.”
Liverpool paid €40 million to Bayer Leverkusen to bring Frimpong to Anfield in the Reds’ first signing of the summer of 2025.
