After just seven goals and assists and a fifth-place finish in the Premier League, Mohamed Salah’s final season at Anfield was always going to invite scrutiny.

That dip in output following years of extraordinary consistency, and a contract situation that rumbled on for far too long, gave pundits plenty of ammunition. But one man who played alongside Salah, has had enough of the criticism.

A Liverpool legend and one of the most prominent voices in football led the charge, publicly accusing Salah of selfishness and suggesting his body language had become a problem. Others in the media followed suit, and as the season wore on, the narrative around one of Anfield’s greatest ever players grew increasingly unforgiving.

Dejan Lovren’s Verdict on Jamie Carragher’s Criticism of Mohamed Salah

Dejan Lovren, who made 141 appearances under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool and won the Champions League and Premier League alongside the Egyptian, has spoken out in defence of his close friend, delivering a scathing opinion on those who’ve spoken out.

As quoted by Goal, Lovren made no attempt to soften his stance over the way Salah has been portrayed, calling Jamie Carragher’s criticism ‘disgusting’. He said :

Lovren’s view is that Carragher, like many TV pundits, is more interested in the performance than the analysis, and that his comments come with a caveat: he’d never say them to a player’s face.

“He’s being really heavily criticised. 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… especially Carragher, he says whatever he wants,” Lovren said.

Why Dejan Lovren Blames Arne Slot For Salah’s Exit

When discussing what exactly led to Salah’s departure, the Croatian was confident in saying that the club itself wasn’t the issue, it was one man. Arne Slot.

“I don’t think it’s the management (that pushed Salah to leave). “I think it’s just one person, and I think it’s just the manager. They didn’t have a good relationship. Let’s put it simply. With 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.”

In Lovren’s view, the difference between the Klopp and Slot eras couldn’t be more night and day. The environment Klopp created allowed Salah to flourish in a way that the last 18 months simply didn’t replicate.

It would be an understatement to suggest the year at Liverpool has been inconsistent in terms of work on and off the pitch, but there could be even more change coming.

The Reds changed strategy last summer to splash the cash on several high-profile signings in a record-breaking transfer window filled with plenty of hope.

There was a plan to transition from one successful squad to another over time, but it hasn’t been a smooth one at all, with Arne Slot only just guiding Liverpool back into the Champions League.

Ultimately, performances cost the manager his job, where he has since been replaced by Andoni Iraola, but the changes don’t stop there.

The summer transfer window this summer will be focused on bringing in players to replace outgoing stars, making more subtle adjustments to those of last year.

While that is certainly the plan, another change behind-the-scenes threatens to impact Liverpool’s ability to consistently improve.

Richard Hughes In Exit Talks

Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes has been in charge of building the squad since he made the move to Anfield from Bournemouth in 2024.

It came after a chaotic churn of sporting directors in years prior that left the Reds in need of some long-term vision to get back to the top.

While the eventual hire of Slot worked out for at least his first season, the recent difficulties in the market brought up questions over Hughes’ future, combined with the fact that his contract only runs until 2027.

With that in mind, Sky Sports journalist Sacha Tavolieri reports that the 46-year-old is in advanced talks to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in the near future.

It’s stated that he will become the club’s new sporting director, but with the plan to finish up his work at Liverpool for the transfer window before he leaves.

That move will leave the club hierarchy considering their options, as the sporting director’s exit will force them into finding a new hire to take up the role.

For the owners, Fenway Sports Group, there is a wider concern to factor into such a move.

FSG Liverpool Concern

When it comes to Liverpool’s future under FSG, there may be concerns over the long-term vision that the club currently has in place to get back to the top.

Some of the club’s recent decline can largely be put down to chaos off the field that has translated onto it. After the exit of Michael Edwards in 2022, Liverpool had Julian Ward for one year before he left, and then Jorg Schmadtke for a year before his own exit, and then the arrival of Hughes.

Three new directors in two years, combined with Jurgen Klopp waving farewell to the club, have then directly translated into the lack of alignment.

Contract situations, such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Mohamed Salah, and Virgil van Dijk in the past two years have stemmed from a lack of consistency in being able to make key decisions.

Changes in the backroom have often meant Liverpool are playing catch-up with key decisions, and while the Premier League title victory offered some hope that the club are still at the top, the most recent season sheds some light on the mess that is really underneath.

In losing Hughes, the Reds are now searching for another director, who may have different ideas from the current team in place, which means even more changes.

At a time when the club just made another huge decision, dismissing Slot and bringing in Iraola, signalling yet more change will be a concern.

What Liverpool need right now is a long-term vision. A path back to the top. The next appointment has to be with that in mind.

It would be an understatement to suggest the year at Liverpool has been inconsistent in terms of work on and off the pitch, but there could be even more change coming.

The Reds changed strategy last summer to splash the cash on several high-profile signings in a record-breaking transfer window filled with plenty of hope.

There was a plan to transition from one successful squad to another over time, but it hasn’t been a smooth one at all, with Arne Slot only just guiding Liverpool back into the Champions League.

Ultimately, performances cost the manager his job, where he has since been replaced by Andoni Iraola, but the changes don’t stop there.

The summer transfer window this summer will be focused on bringing in players to replace outgoing stars, making more subtle adjustments to those of last year.

While that is certainly the plan, another change behind-the-scenes threatens to impact Liverpool’s ability to consistently improve.

Richard Hughes In Exit Talks

Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes has been in charge of building the squad since he made the move to Anfield from Bournemouth in 2024.

It came after a chaotic churn of sporting directors in years prior that left the Reds in need of some long-term vision to get back to the top.

While the eventual hire of Slot worked out for at least his first season, the recent difficulties in the market brought up questions over Hughes’ future, combined with the fact that his contract only runs until 2027.

With that in mind, Sky Sports journalist Sacha Tavolieri reports that the 46-year-old is in advanced talks to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in the near future.

It’s stated that he will become the club’s new sporting director, but with the plan to finish up his work at Liverpool for the transfer window before he leaves.

That move will leave the club hierarchy considering their options, as the sporting director’s exit will force them into finding a new hire to take up the role.

For the owners, Fenway Sports Group, there is a wider concern to factor into such a move.

FSG Liverpool Concern

When it comes to Liverpool’s future under FSG, there may be concerns over the long-term vision that the club currently has in place to get back to the top.

Some of the club’s recent decline can largely be put down to chaos off the field that has translated onto it. After the exit of Michael Edwards in 2022, Liverpool had Julian Ward for one year before he left, and then Jorg Schmadtke for a year before his own exit, and then the arrival of Hughes.

Three new directors in two years, combined with Jurgen Klopp waving farewell to the club, have then directly translated into the lack of alignment.

Contract situations, such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Mohamed Salah, and Virgil van Dijk in the past two years have stemmed from a lack of consistency in being able to make key decisions.

Changes in the backroom have often meant Liverpool are playing catch-up with key decisions, and while the Premier League title victory offered some hope that the club are still at the top, the most recent season sheds some light on the mess that is really underneath.

In losing Hughes, the Reds are now searching for another director, who may have different ideas from the current team in place, which means even more changes.

At a time when the club just made another huge decision, dismissing Slot and bringing in Iraola, signalling yet more change will be a concern.

What Liverpool need right now is a long-term vision. A path back to the top. The next appointment has to be with that in mind.