Jamie Carragher’s stance on Mohamed Salah’s ongoing dispute with Liverpool hasn’t changed despite the forward returning to Arne Slot’s squad in last week’s win over Brighton
Jamie Carragher has stood firm on his stance of Mohamed Salah after the Liverpool forward was branded a ‘disgrace’ for his bombshell interview after the 3-3 Premier League draw against Leeds United.
Salah told reporters that he no longer has a relationship with Liverpool boss Arne Slot and claimed the club had thrown him under the bus after he was benched for a third game in a row. In the immediate aftermath of the interview, Carragher said he believed Salah’s words were premeditated and intended to get Slot the sack.
“I thought it was a disgrace what he did after the game,” Sky Sports pundit Carragher said. “Some people have painted it as an emotional outburst, I don’t think it was.
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“Whenever Mo Salah stops in a mixed zone, which he’s done four times in eight years at Liverpool, it’s choreographed with him and his agent to cause maximum damage and strengthen his own position.”
Salah missed the Reds’ Champions League win over Inter Milan before returning to the matchday squad in the win over Brighton & Hove Albion. The Egypt forward came off the bench in the first half in what could be his final appearance for the club.
Now that the dust has settled, Carragher has discussed Salah’s situation once again and refused to label his words as “too far”. “No (when asked if he would have done anything differently). I kept going because I kept getting asked questions about it,” he said on the Stick to Football podcast.
“We were on the Champions League and Liverpool were playing that night, and there was the big story around Mo not travelling, so you couldn’t get away from it. It was the biggest story in town for seven to ten days. I wouldn’t take anything back.”
Asked if the ‘disgrace’ comment was too much: “It was a disgrace.” He added: “I don’t mind someone having a different view, but you’ve got to back it up. People say (Ibrahima) Konate’s not playing well, he’s played every game – they haven’t got another centre-back. So that’s not a debate.
“You could say (Ryan) Gravenberch, they haven’t got another holding midfielder. (Cody) Gakpo’s been dropped, (Hugo) Ekitike’s been out, (Alexander) Isak’s been in and out, (Alexis) MacAllister has been in and out, and the full-backs have changed. Everybody in that team hasn’t been playing well, besides (Dominik) Szoboszlai.”
Despite Gary Neville’s attempt to argue why Salah should have come on at Elland Road, Carragher stood firm in his stance on the situation. “These types of players who have these big egos, I get that (talking out). But that’s probably why it’s taken so long to take him out.
“Earlier in the season, he was coming off in Europe; that was him getting rested. This was leaving him out. We always talk about a manager should never criticise his players in public. Can you imagine if Slot had said about Salah after the Leeds game, ‘he’s been awful all season, he doesn’t get back, he doesn’t score goals’? We would have gone, ‘oh my god you can’t say this, you can’t say that’.
“But on the other hand, there’s people defending the interview? If this was someone else, saying it about Salah, there would be uproar and rightly so. You can’t say that. If this is someone who speaks to the media a lot and he’s always in there, he doesn’t speak to them. So when he does speak, he knows exactly what he’s saying, he’s clever.”
Asked if Salah will leave the club in January, Carragher said: “I think if Liverpool get the money that they want, they will probably will. I think they’ll think they don’t want the hassle. I’d love him to stay and I think he can have a better send-off and have an impact between now and the end of the season.”
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