‘Mentality has nothing to do with age’ – Slot sends message after Salah exit

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Liverpool are facing the end of an era with both Mo Salah and Andy Robertson leaving this summer, but Arne Slot insists mentality and leadership cannot simply be measured by age or experience alone.DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL EMPIRE OF THE KOP APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAYThe departures of two dressing-room leaders naturally raise concerns about how Liverpool replace not only quality on the pitch, but also the standards that helped define one of the most successful periods in the club’s modern history.Speaking during his pre-Chelsea press conference via Liverpoolfc.com, Slot was asked directly whether Liverpool now need to recruit more experience and mentality in the transfer market.Slot responds to Salah and Robertson concernsOur head coach made it clear he doesn’t believe leadership is automatically tied to older players.Slot explained: “For me, mentality has nothing to do with age.”The Dutchman then pointed towards Salah’s own rise at Anfield to support his argument.“I think you know, when Mo was 26 and these players were all in their prime, they were able to win the Champions League, to win the Premier League, to pick up 99 points, so you don’t have to be 32 to know what standards mean.”It’s an important point because replacing Salah and Robertson individually already feels almost impossible, never mind replacing their combined influence around the training ground.It feels like a moment of transition as we await the exit of a group of players who have made over 1500 appearances for us.The Egyptian leaves behind one of the greatest Liverpool careers ever seen, while the Scotland captain helped redefine what supporters expect from a modern full-back during the Jurgen Klopp era.Klopp himself recently admitted his emotional reaction to Salah’s exit, saying: “Mo, it was an absolute honour to work with you.”Liverpool looking for new leadersSlot also referenced Paris Saint-Germain’s younger squad as proof mentality comes from personality rather than age.The 46-year-old said: “I think recently, we have quite a good example of players that are not that old – the ones of Paris Saint-Germain – but definitely have the standards for what it takes to win a game of football.”He continued: “For me, mentality has absolutely nothing to do with age, but more with personal character of a player or the personality of the player.”While Liverpool may lose huge experience this summer, the opportunity is now there for others to step forward.Virgil van Dijk, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch all look capable of taking on even greater responsibility, while Florian Wirtz has already shown signs of personality despite only arriving this season.Slot ended with a clear message of confidence in the current squad.“We also have a lot of players – maybe all of them – that have the right mentality to play for this club.”