Jamie Carragher has called on Mo Salah to front up to the media in the wake of Liverpool’s woeful run of form, accusing the player of only addressing the press when he wants a new deal – and it’s the third time in recent years that the Sky Sports pundit has taken aim at the Reds’ Egyptian talisman as we take a look back at their recent beefs.
Salah‘s form, like so many of his Liverpool teammates, has taken a serious nosedive this season, with the Premier League champions’ crown weighing heavily on their heads. And instead of the strong title defence Liverpool were expected to put up, six defeats in their 12 games so far have left Arne Slot’s side in the bottom half and already 11 points adrift of table-topping Arsenal.
While serious questions have been raised over the Dutchman’s future, Carragher believes the onus must be on Liverpool’s senior stars to play them out of their hole.
And with the chips down at Anfield, the Sky Sports pundit also thinks Salah should join captain Virgil van Dijk in facing the media and fronting up to explain their woeful run of results.
“After the Forest game, Virgil van Dijk has come out and spoken, as he should do as the captain,” Carragher began on Monday Night Football.
“On the back of all these Liverpool defeats, it’s always Van Dijk who comes out and speaks. The captain should do that, but there should be other players in that dressing room and speaking for the club.
“A year ago this weekend, Mo Salah wasn’t shy in speaking about his own situation and the club not offering him a contract. I only ever hear Salah speak when he gets man of the match or when he needs a new contract.
“I would like to see Salah as one of the leaders and legends of Liverpool come out and speak for the team.”
In the wake of Carragher questioning Salah’s decision to go into hiding, somewhat, we have taken a look at the two recent incidents where the Sky Sports man called out the 33-year-old winger…
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The two previous times Carragher has called out Mohamed Salah
Indeed, the two men have something of a history over recent times.
And Carragher, despite his appraisal of Salah as one of Liverpool’s top five players of all time and going down in the history books as an all-time great, has been quick to publicly condemn the Egyptian when he has felt something needs to be said.
The first time occurred back in the summer of 2022, when Carragher let rip at Salah’s agent, Ramy Abbas Issa. At the time, there were suggestions from Issa that Salah, out of contract the following summer, would not be signing an extension.
And with the agent dropping a number of teases to Reds fans across social media about a parting of ways, Carragher could not help but make his feelings clear on X, formerly Twitter.
“All Reds love your client, and if he is to leave next summer, we will wish him well & say a big thank you,” Carragher wrote on X. “But we can do without this cryptic crap for the next 12 months! @MoSalah, have a word!!”
Shortly after Carragher’s tweet, it was announced that Salah would be staying after committing to a new deal, the biggest ever in the club’s history.
And after the announcement of the renewal, Carragher could not resist a cheeky pop at Issa, joking he had “fooled them all”.
Fast forward to last autumn, when Salah was very vocal in discussing his Liverpool future, Carragher could not resist a fresh pop at the star when he appeared before the media to claim the club had yet to put a new offer on the table to him.
Those comments did not sit well, with Carragher, who accused the star of not being overly truthful and in using the media to land himself an even bigger payday.
Famously branding the star “selfish”, Carragher stated: “Of course there’s been discussions, yeah. Right now, there’s obviously a big difference in the valuation. Whatever Mo Salah and his agent value themselves at, whether that be financially or in terms of length of contract, and what Liverpool do.
“So the reason Liverpool wouldn’t have offered a contract yet is because Mo Salah will turn it down. So they’re still in talks, I’m desperate for them to meet in the middle.
“But I must say, I am very disappointed with Mo Salah. That interview last night after the game, when it comes out. Liverpool have got Real Madrid midweek and they’ve got Manchester City at the weekend. That’s the story for Liverpool right now.”
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On Salah’s own struggles for form, Wayne Rooney is wondering whether Slot could decide to axe the star in order to make a statement to his other players.
Speaking on the Wayne Rooney podcast, the former England striker claimed: “If I was Slot, I’d try and make a big decision just so it has an impact on the rest of the team.
“Salah is not helping them defensively.
“If you’re one of the players who they’ve signed and you’re on the bench and you’ve seen him not running – and again he’s a club legend and everything he’s done for the club – but if you’re on the bench, then what message does that send to you?”
Elsewhere, Rooney has joined Mark Lawrenson in naming another big-name star who should be immediately axed from the Liverpool starting line-up to kickstart their season and end the ‘crisis’ at Anfield.
Meanwhile, a stunning piece of insight from Bayern Munich has shed light on why Liverpool aren’t getting the best out of Florian Wirtz, and may not do for quite some time.
Finally, while Liverpool are keen on a deal for Antoine Semenyo, sources have told TEAMtalk that Fenway Sports Group (FSG) are not considering going all-out for the Bournemouth winger as the club’s owners face a major conundrum.