Jamie Carragher does not expect Mohamed Salah to be a Liverpool player next season, but says the forward should delay any immediate move and remain at Anfield until the end of this campaign to secure a proper send-off.
Salah appeared emotional during what looked like a lap of appreciation after Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Brighton as he prepares to join Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations. The 31-year-old started on the bench at Anfield, was introduced in the first half and provided an assist for Hugo Ekitike, taking his Premier League goal involvements for Liverpool to 277 — a record for a single club (188 goals, 89 assists), overtaking Wayne Rooney’s 276 for Manchester United (183 goals, 93 assists).
Carragher, who had criticised Salah for saying he had been “thrown under a bus” by manager Arne Slot, urged the forward to put differences with the manager aside and return from AFCON in mid-January to finish the season with Liverpool. Speaking on Monday Night Football, Carragher praised Slot for including Salah at Brighton and said the manager put the team first by ensuring Salah was available and able to contribute.
“I don’t see Salah playing for Liverpool next season,” Carragher said, but added the key question is whether fans will see him from now until the end of the season. He warned that if Salah moves in January — with Saudi clubs widely tipped as the likely destination rather than Real Madrid or Barcelona — he could miss out on big moments for Liverpool later in the campaign.
Carragher argued Salah deserves a fitting farewell: a guard of honour, a display in the Kop and the chance to bring his family onto the pitch. He suggested that staying could lead to playing in major cup finals — “you might not get on with the manager but you’ll start some games… and what we saw at Anfield at the weekend was nicer than what we saw at Elland Road” — and painted the scenario of Salah regretting watching Liverpool in a Champions League final from abroad.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has also told Salah he wants him to stay, and Carragher urged the forward and his agent to think again about leaving immediately, saying the worst outcome would be a big send-off and the best would be lifting silverware with the Reds before departing.