Ibrahima Konate stepped forward to diffuse tensions and offer goodwill after Bukayo Saka’s recent injury setback. The Liverpool defender emphasized that the Reds “wish no harm” to Arsenal or their players, following heated exchanges between rival fans online.

Saka was forced off with what appeared to be a hamstring problem during Arsenal’s dominant 5-1 victory over Crystal Palace. Later seen leaving Selhurst Park on crutches, Saka's injury could pose a significant challenge for the Gunners as they compete with Liverpool in a hard-fought Premier League title race.

The news sparked mixed reactions on social media, with some Liverpool fans taunting Arsenal supporters, referencing a prior incident involving Konate. Back in November, the Frenchman sustained a knee injury during Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League.

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At the time, an Arsenal fan had tweeted, “Rivalry aside, I hope Konaté’s injury is serious.” In response to Saka’s setback, a Liverpool fan quoted the tweet in retaliation last night, writing, “Karma is a b***h.”

However, Konaté stepped in to cool the situation ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Tottenham, tweeting: “We are not like them…, we wish no harm. Anyway, In Sha Allah big 3 pts today.”

Arne Slot provided a brief update on Konaté’s fitness during Friday’s press conference. While hopeful for his return in the coming weeks, Slot refrained from providing a specific timeline, emphasizing the need for caution in his recovery.

"These are the two [Konate and Conor Bradley ] that are still in red, so they don't train with us at the moment. But they are on their way back, but they don't train with the team yet" said the Dutchman.

"That is quite difficult [to say timescale]. [Diogo] Jota I thought would have been back earlier but sometimes the end stage of rehab takes longer, sometimes they join [training] and then they are not completely ready to start. So let's wait and see but we have a good rehab team here who have done some good work with Alisson and a few others.

"The main thing is if they come back they are ready to come back, let's not focus on two or three days, it's more important for them to stay fit for the long term. Let's hope with Conor and Ibou the same thing happens."