Former Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren has blamed Arne Slot for Mohamed Salah's exit from the Reds, and labeled Jamie Carragher's criticism of the Egyptian "disgusting"
Mark Jones Liverpool Content Editor - Sport
15:34, 07 Jun 2026Updated 15:40, 07 Jun 2026
Jamie Carragher has faced some criticism
Jamie Carragher has faced some criticism(Image: Getty Images)
Former Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren has placed the blame squarely on Arne Slot for Mohamed Salah's "sad" departure from the club, while the Croatian has described Jamie Carragher's remarks about Salah as "disgusting."
The Egyptian forward concluded his nine-year stint at Anfield at the season's end following a tumultuous campaign in which he publicly clashed with Slot and voiced concerns about Liverpool's playing style under the Dutch manager.
The third-highest goalscorer in Liverpool's history bid farewell on the final day of the Premier League season, and six days later, Slot was fired as Reds head coach following his two-year tenure on Merseyside.
Lovren, who developed a strong friendship with Salah during their three seasons together at Anfield, believes Salah would have remained at Liverpool had he known of Slot's impending departure.
"I don't think it's the management; I think it's just one person, and I think it's just the manager," Lovren told Middle Eastern outlet WinWin.
"They didn't have a good relationship. Let's put it simply. With (Jurgen) Klopp, he had a really good relationship. It wasn't always perfect, but they knew each other very well, let's say that too, and they trusted each other, they liked each other, and Mo gave everything on the pitch for Klopp, and Klopp gave him that trust.
Mohamed Salah recently left Liverpool
Mohamed Salah recently left Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)
"But (with Slot) it was the opposite. It's that simple, and everyone knows it because when you look at the previous eight or nine seasons, he did really well. Then in the last season... Now people will say, 'Oh yes, but he also did well in the first year Slot came in,' but I don't think that was because I think he just took over the team as it was, as the team was already.
"So, like I said, it's sad in my opinion that Mo left in that way. I never expected it. Especially since he had another year."
Expanding on Salah's relationship with Slot, Lovren added: "There was no relationship. Yes, to put it simply, there was no relationship."
Lovren also believes Salah would have stayed at Anfield had Slot left first. The former Reds star also hit out at Carragher's verdict on Salah.
"It's not harsh. It's disgusting. Why didn't they talk about him like this for the past eight or nine years? Tell me," he stated.
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"Okay, one season, and then he's the target again. There are so many other issues.
"Some pundits do it just to attract attention, maybe because they haven't succeeded in other areas of their lives, so now they need to perform well.
"Sometimes people put Mo in the spotlight, and then the easy part is, like I said... especially Carragher, he says whatever he wants."