As Arne Slot’s Liverpool limped to a meaningless 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace on the final day of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, defender-turned-pundit Jamie Carragher was particularly critical of one of the title-winners' players.
Oliver Glasner’s side had Ismaila Sarr to thank for opening and scoring in the ninth minute of play at Anfield and Ryan Gravenberch’s red card just shy of the 70-minute mark just increased the steepness of the mountain to climb.
Mohamed Salah, in the 84th minute, stepped up with a goal that saw him equal the all-time record for most goal involvements (47) in a single Premier League season. He levelled with Andy Cole and Alan Shearer from 1993/94 and 1994/95, respectively.
Irrespective of the result, the Reds already had the title wrapped up with four games of the season left to play – and Carragher did not hold back when lambasting one of Slot’s men, especially with an all-important summer transfer window ahead.
Carragher Quick to Criticise Liverpool Man During Palace Draw
Adding to that, despite winning the 2024/25 Premier League title with relative ease, Slot – widely regarded as one of the best managers in world football – and his entourage are expecting a busy summer full of incomings, especially after securing Premier League gold.
Liverpool’s higher-ups are hoping to sanction a summer move for Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz – and Carragher, during the second half of Liverpool’s final-day outing, now holds concerns about what the German hotshot's potential arrival would mean for Dominik Szoboszlai.
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Arne Slot's Liverpool have entered the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen hotshot Florian Wirtz and have made contact with his representatives.
“Going back to Szoboszlai,” he said. “There will be a lot of talk around his role if the transfer of Wirtz does happen.”
Szoboszlai was signed from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023 for a lofty fee – but, despite glimmers of hope from the attacking midfielder, it’s not unfair to say that it hasn’t quite clicked since he swapped Germany for England two years ago.
When the Hungary international, 24, had the chance to shoot, he instead attempted to set up the aforementioned, record-chasing Salah – and that was something that irked the TNT Sports pundit. In an attempt to understand his thinking, he said:
“Liverpool need a lot more from that area. When Mo Salah has the chance, he [Szoboszlai] has a great chance on the edge of the box but decides to pass it. It probably just tells you something about his mentality.”
Inside Szoboszlai’s Outing v Palace
He was replaced by Darwin Nunez in the 61st minute
Szoboszlai, in 61 minutes of play before being taken off in favour of an out-of-sorts Darwin Nunez, was unable to provide anything of note as Slot’s men struggled to jump off the page in what was Trent Alexander-Arnold’s final game in Liverpool colours.
Alongside his two key passes, the Hungarian – widely regarded as one of the best number 8s in world football right now – completed all three of his attempted long balls. In front of goal, his solitary shot was off target, per Sofascore.
dominik
As things stand, Szoboszlai's contract is set to expire in the summer of 2028 after he signed a five-year deal upon his arrival. Whether Wirtz signs and the midfielder departs as a result remains to be seen – but getting his £150,000-per-week wages off the books would be beneficial from a financial perspective.
All statistics per Sofascore – correct as of 25/05/2025