Jamie Carragher remains insistent that Liverpool star Mohamed Salah should not have spoken publicly about his contract situation — but Roy Keane has a different opinion on the Egyptian's decision to speak to reporters a couple of weeks ago at Southampton.
Salah doesn't stop for media too often, but made a point of speaking after netting a brace to rescue his side at St Mary's. He expressed his disappointment at Liverpool not having tabled anything, though The Athletic has since reported that the Reds have sent his representatives a formal contract offer.
"My problem with Mo Salah is coming out and speaking," Carragher said on the Stick To Football podcast brought to you by Sky Bet. "There should be an exception for Salah and Virgil van Dijk in that they are special players, and they never miss games. They are never injured."
But Keane disagrees. "It’s not about being right or wrong," he said. "If a player wants to put something out there, he’s an experienced player. Players need to be selfish.
"He’s got to look after himself and he’s got to negotiate the best way he can. If that is sending little messages out there, I wouldn’t lose any sleep about it. I’ve been there and done it — and if the club want to get him signed up then they have to give him whatever they are after. He’s such a good player and he’ll have plenty of options.
"There’s always these fun and games with these contract situations — particularly when they are coming to an end. The key for me and what I would give Mo Salah credit for — with all these distractions — is he is playing well and producing.
"Players have to realize it’s a business decision — we all love sport, we all love playing, but when a club is offering you that [a certain amount], you go, ‘Well, is it about the money?’ Sometimes it is about the money. If some clubs want to pay you more and you have a bit of self-worth, you go, ‘They think I’m worth that, and sometimes you have to go with that’."
Salah has scored 16 times and assisted another 12 so far this season for Liverpool. And with Arne Slot's men flying in both the Premier League and the Champions League, there is no reason for him to be looking elsewhere. While Keane says he will have other options, Carragher pointed out that Real Madrid is well-stocked already and Barcelona and PSG would be a step down.
Mohamed Salah has now received a new contract offer from Liverpool
Mohamed Salah has now received a new contract offer from Liverpool (Image: Getty Images)
"I wanted closure for something that was dragging on for a year or two," Keane continued. "When I did my cruciate, I was out for a year and when I came back playing, the club were waiting to see if I was going to get back to a certain level so that was almost an accidental situation what I found myself in.
"Then, obviously with the Bosman rule, so what you’re trying to do is negotiate — they would offer you so much, you might ask for a bit more, you get options to go abroad, and just like everything else, you weigh it all up. I was content at the club and eventually they came up with the deal I wanted, but I was getting a lot of criticism.
"I had that at [Nottingham] Forest — Brian Clough was quoted as saying, ‘I’m selfish, I’m greedy’, but that’s just to put pressure on a player. As you get older, you get a bit wiser, and what you almost say to a club is, ‘This is what I’m after, hopefully you respect what you’re trying to get, and also I respect your situation’.
"If Liverpool don’t want to budge, you have to respect that. The bottom line is you have to go out and perform every week, and all that other stuff will fall into place. This is a good test for Salah’s character. It will only get worse the longer it goes on, but if Liverpool keep winning football matches and he is playing well, it will all sort itself out."
Liverpool.com says: Salah should be holding out for the best deal for himself but at the same time, he will also want to remain at the top of the game. If it was only about the best deal for him financially, he would have joined the Saudi Pro League already.