Jamie Carragher believes Mohamed Salah was “selfish” for his public comments on contract talks, insisting he is not “the story for Liverpool right now.”
Salah has put the pressure on Liverpool’s owners after speaking to journalists after the 3-2 win over Southampton on Sunday and revealing that he was yet to receive a formal contract offer.
For a player of his calibre with just over seven months remaining on his current deal, that is undoubtedly worrying for fans, and his comments have led to widespread criticism of how the club is run.
Rightly or wrongly, Liverpool have kept counsel on the public input of Salah and his agent, with it clear that all parties are eager to resolve talks and extend their agreement.
But speaking on Sky Sports, Carragher insisted that the Egyptian was “selfish” for purposefully detracting from “the story” for Liverpool at present.
“I’m desperate for them to meet in the middle, but I must say I am very disappointed with Mo Salah,” Carragher said.
“Liverpool have got Real Madrid midweek and they’ve got Manchester City at the weekend; that’s the story for Liverpool right now.
“And Mo Salah, we’re all quite aware – certainly the local reporters are in Liverpool – that in the seven years that he’s been at Liverpool Football Club, he’s stopped in the mixed zone twice.
“Which is his right, it’s absolutely fine, but he decided to stop for the third time away at Southampton on the back of winning Liverpool the game, and putting that out.
“The most important thing for Liverpool Football Club this season is not the future of Mo Salah, it’s not the future of Virgil van Dijk and it’s not the future of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
“The most important thing is Liverpool winning the Premier League. That is more important than any of those players.
“And if he continues to put comments out, or his agent keeps putting cryptic tweets out, that’s selfish.
“That’s thinking about themselves and not the football club.”
Carragher himself has come in for criticism for his stance on Salah after Sunday, but the 46-year-old reiterated that he was desperate for the No. 11 to stay.
“The reason Liverpool wouldn’t have offered a contract yet is because Mo Salah will turn it down. So they’re still in talks,” he added.
But Carragher also stressed that, despite the importance of Salah as well as Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold, the club has shown throughout the years that they can move on without them.
“I can say Mo Salah is in the top five players to ever play for Liverpool Football Club,” he continued.
“I would go: Steven Gerrard, Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness, Ian Rush and I’d put Mo Salah in fifth position. That’s how highly I rate him, that’s how special this guy is.
“It’s not about giving somebody what they want.
“But I would say is I hope Mo Salah and the other two players involved – Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold – don’t feel that like this club would fall apart if they ever move on.
“Steven Gerrard left the football club; the next manager came in and won the league. Steven Gerrard didn’t win the league, Jurgen Klopp won the league with a new team.
“Kenny Dalglish, at that time Liverpool’s greatest-ever player, when he stopped playing Peter Beardsley came in and was part of probably the greatest footballing team we’ve ever seen in a red shirt in 1988.
“Graeme Souness left, Liverpool won the double for the first time in their history two years later in 1986.
“Ian Rush moved on, after him came John Aldridge and later when Ian Rush moved on, Robbie Fowler came.
“And Salah, would we miss him if he moved on? Of course you would, but I can assure you, Liverpool will move on.”
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