LIVERPOOL: Liverpool has yet to allow a goal this season and Mohamed Salah has scored in each of the three games — all victories.
If this is what contract distractions look like at Anfield, new manager Arne Slot is fine with it.
Salah, captain Virgil van Dijk and right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold are all in the final year of their deals, and though it’s still early in the Premier League season Liverpool is the only team keeping pace with defending champion Manchester City.
Slot reiterated Friday at a press conference that “we don’t talk about contract situations over here” — unless there’s a new deal — and said the focus is on making it four wins in a row when Nottingham Forest visits Merseyside on Saturday.
“I’m fully focused on the individuals and the team,” he said about the trio in question, “and they are part of the team and trying to work with them in the best possible way to get the best out of them. So it’s not a distraction for me at all.”
The transition from Jurgen Klopp has been seamless.
Slot is the first manager to win his first three Premier League games without conceding a goal since Sven-Göran Eriksson at Man City in 2007.
“It’s not the defense who keeps a clean sheet — it’s 11 players who keep a clean sheet,” Slot said. “We try to convince them constantly about this because in an ideal world we don’t need (goalkeeper) Allison. It’s a team performance that we don’t concede and that has a lot to do with us putting in a lot of work without the ball.”
The schedule gets busy now, though, with seven games in the next three weeks. Liverpool plays at Inter Milan on Tuesday in the Champions League.
The international break saw lots of Liverpool players logging heavy minutes for their national teams.
“Maybe in the future I sometimes would love it to be a bit different,” Slot said. “It’s a positive thing that we are in such a good place that we have 10 players that can play every minute for the national team. It says a lot about the quality we have.”
Salah marked his 100th cap for Egypt with a goal in a 4-0 victory over Botswana on Tuesday in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. In the Premier League this season, Salah is the only player to have scored three goals and provided three assists.
Harvey Elliott will be sidelined for several weeks because of a foot fracture, which Slot said is “a blow” for both the team and the midfielder.
“He would have had a lot of playing time in the upcoming fixtures,” the manager said.
Next test for Slot is navigating Liverpool’s busy schedule amid Salah contract questions
https://arab.news/b45wb
Next test for Slot is navigating Liverpool’s busy schedule amid Salah contract questions
E1 World Championship opens 2026 season in Jeddah with expanded field, growing global profile
- Season’s opener features record 10 teams
JEDDAH: The 2026 UIM E1 World Championship presented by PIF will launch its new season in Jeddah, with the Red Sea city once again hosting the world’s first all-electric raceboat series, and champions Team Brady beginning their title defense against an expanded and competitive field.
Set against Jeddah’s Red Sea coastline, the season-opening E1 Jeddah GP 2026, which takes place over Jan. 23-24, will feature a record 10 teams racing the cutting-edge E1 RaceBirds, underlining the rapid growth of the championship and its ambitions as a global competition spanning four continents.
Team Brady are the outfit to beat, having claimed the Champions of the Water title in 2024 and 2025. However, competition is expected to be fiercer than ever, with several teams strengthening their lineups ahead of the new campaign.
Team Monaco and Sierra Racing Club join the championship for 2026, adding further depth to the grid with a mix of experienced and emerging pilots. Team Rafa, who finished just 11 points behind Team Brady last season after a title fight that went down to the final laps, are widely regarded as one of the leading contenders and will be aiming to make an early statement in Jeddah.
Team AlUla Championed by LeBron James also return to race on home waters, one year on from their E1 debut. Carrying local pride, the team will be looking to build on last season’s momentum in front of Saudi fans.
The world-class field is further strengthened by a roster of high-profile, celebrity-backed teams, including Will Smith’s Team Westbrook, DJ Steve Aoki’s Team Aoki, Team Drogba, led by football legend Didier Drogba and his partner Gabrielle Lemaire, and Team Miami, featuring Grammy Award-winning artist Marc Anthony.
Fans will be able to get close to the action across qualifying and race day, with on-water viewing available from the E1 Fan Zone. The area will give visitors the chance to see the E1 RaceBirds up close and will feature a gaming arena with simulator and virtual reality experiences, as well as a VOX cinema screening of “Zootopia 2.” Merchandise outlets and a range of food and beverage options will also be available, creating a family-friendly race-day experience.
Beyond the racing, E1’s return to Saudi Arabia reflects the Kingdom’s growing role in shaping the future of electric sport and sustainable mobility. The championship serves as a living laboratory for electric propulsion systems, accelerating innovation that can influence marine transport while also supporting broader conversations around ocean protection.
As part of its partnership with E1, Formula E’s Driving Force Presented by PIF E360 is hosting its educational program in Jeddah this week. The initiative aims to inspire students aged 8 to 18 to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as well as sustainability, through the lens of electric racing.
The program reached more than 60,000 students globally in 2025 alone, with a further 50,000 targeted this year, taking its reach to over 100,000 young people worldwide.
On the sporting side, PIF’s commitment to excellence will again be recognized through the PIF Pilot of the Day award, presented after finals day to honor standout skill and performance over the race weekend.
Alejandro Agag, founder and chairman of E1, said: “Starting our 2026 season in Jeddah is a powerful statement for E1. The region represents ambition, innovation and a clear vision for the future, and the Red Sea provides the perfect environment as our largest grid yet of 10 teams begin their battle to be crowned 2026 Champions of the Water.”
The Jeddah race is set to deliver high-intensity competition, renewed rivalries and an early glimpse into the future of high-performance racing on water.
