Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has made it clear to the board that he wants to work with Mohamed Salah 'for a long time' - and the club should honor the Dutchman's request as contract negotiations continue.

Slot was picked as the man to succeed Jurgen Klopp, who had guided the club through its most successful period in recent history. Slot has implemented a new style, restoring the offensive threat Liverpool fans adored under Klopp but also improving his side defensively.

He's done this despite only acquiring Italian winger Federico Chiesa in the summer, who has just managed 18 minutes in the Premier League due to his lack of fitness. Slot also has fewer players to choose from, after Fabio Carvalho and Sepp van den Berg were sold to Brentford, while Joel Matip and Thiago retired.

Slot has also faced major questioning over the immediate futures of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who are out of contract at the end of the season. Still, Liverpool is flying at the top of the Premier League and Champions League standings, and it's time to hand Slot some assurances, starting with Salah.

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Out of respect for the club, Slot has been reluctant to discuss contract negotiations but did make his first statement to the board after Liverpool drew 3-3 with Newcastle on Wednesday. "Every time we need Mo Salah he scores a goal," Slot said on Amazon Prime.

"We are hoping and expecting he can continue this for a long time. He was outstanding in the second half, he did many special things for us."

This was the first time that Slot placed a preferred time frame on his working relationship with Salah, and it's clear that the Egyptian winger is far from being past his prime. Salah means so much to Liverpool, and Liverpool means so much to Salah, but Slot also wants to be backed after making a successful start.

Salah has also been Liverpool's only option at the right wing position this season, after Harvey Elliott missed over three months through injury. Chiesa was a budget option to assist Salah this season, but while the Egyptian scored twice on Wednesday, he was playing for the Liverpool U21 side.

Slot recently claimed that he's been forced to rely on Salah too much, but Liverpool has also relied on the Egyptian ever since he joined the club in 2017. Slot wants to solidify Salah's future before adding depth in the right wing position, and the club needs to resolve the situation to alleviate the stress on the head coach, the player, and the rest of the team.

"Is it a danger that we rely too much on him? A bit, but only because he’s also a human being and – it happened to him last season – he can get an injury as well," Slot said of Salah. "Since Federico Chiesa‘s had a difficult start to the club because of injuries, we don’t really have a replacement for Mo.

"The good thing is that Harvey Elliott is getting fitter and fitter again, and he has played this position many times as well. So I’m not afraid that Mo’s numbers will drop at all, but when it comes to an injury for him, we are in a better position on the left wing than we are on the right."

Liverpool is justified in its reluctance to offer Salah a standard long-term deal, as the interests of the club should always come first. But out of respect to a club legend, and to ease the transition as Slot makes future tweaks to the squad, a new deal must be signed.