Jamie Carragher slams ‘selfish’ Mo Salah in warning over Liverpool contract saga

The Egyptian forward made headlines with a rare bombshell interview that followed his match-winning heroics in Sunday’s 3-2 comeback victory over struggling Southampton in the Premier League, in which he expressed his disappointment at having yet to have been offered a new contract and admitted he was “probably more out than in” as things stand.

Speaking to reporters at St Mary’s, Salah said: “Well, we are almost in December and I haven’t received any offers yet to stay in the club.

“You know I have been in the club for many years. There is no club like this. But in the end it is not in my hands. As I said before, it is December and I haven’t received anything yet about my future.

“Of course, yeah [I’m disappointed not to have received a new contract offer]. I love the fans. The fans love me. In the end it is not in my hands or the fans’ hands. Let’s wait and see.

“I’m not going to retire soon so I’m just playing, focusing on the season and I’m trying to win the Premier League and hopefully the Champions League as well. I’m disappointed but we will see.”

Before that, Liverpool also have the small matter of a high-profile Champions League clash with holders Real Madrid coming up at Anfield on Wednesday night.

Carragher criticised the public approach taken by Salah’s camp and insisted his ongoing contract saga must not take precedence over the club’s bid for on-field glory under new boss Arne Slot.

Addressing Salah’s interview on Sky Sports, the Reds legend said: “Of course there have been discussions. Right now, there’s obviously a big difference in the valuation – what Mo Salah and his agent value themselves at, whether that’s financially or in terms of length of contract, to what Liverpool do.

“The reason Liverpool haven’t offered a contract yet is because Mo Salah will turn it down. So they are still in talks, I am desperate for them to meet in the middle.

“But I must say, I am very disappointed in Mo Salah. That interview, Liverpool have got Real Madrid in midweek and they’ve got Manchester City at the weekend – that’s the story for Liverpool right now.

“Mo Salah, we’re all quite aware, certainly the local reporters in Liverpool, that in the seven years he’s been at the football club, he’s stopped in the mixed zone twice – which is his right. Absolutely fine.

“But he decides to stop for the third time away at Southampton on the back of winning Liverpool the game. 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 tweets out, that’s selfish. That’s thinking about themselves and not the football club.”

Carragher was full of praise for Salah’s on-field impact in his seven-and-a-half years on Merseyside, putting him as high as fifth on his list of all-time Liverpool greats.

However, while he acknowledged that Salah would certainly be missed at Anfield, he pointed to plenty of examples from the past to show that Liverpool would continue to be successful even if the 32-year-old did move on in the summer.

“He’s certainly getting the love from me and Liverpool supporters,” Carragher said. “They are in talks, that’s part of football. I would say Mo Salah is in the top five players to ever play for Liverpool.

“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.

“No, it’s not about giving somebody what they want. What I would say is, I hope Mo Salah and the other two players who are involved in this, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, [don’t] feel like that this club will fall apart if they ever move on.

“Steven Gerrard left the 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 best 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. 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.”