(Photo credit: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC/Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Former Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren has launched a brutal attack on Jamie Carragher and other TV pundits, branding recent criticism of Mohamed Salah “disgusting”.
Salah has been under intense scrutiny over his performances and future, but Lovren has jumped fiercely to his former teammate’s defense, questioning the motives behind the media’s harsh treatment of the Egyptian forward.
Download the official CaughtOffSide app to get all the latest news and updates straight to your phone. above apple & Google play
Dejan Lovren talks about Mohamed Salah’s treatment
Lovren was not shy about addressing the wave of negativity surrounding Salah, suggesting that pundits may be targeting the forward simply to generate headlines and boost their own profile.
“It’s not harsh. It’s unpleasant,” Lovren said.
“Why haven’t we talked about him like this for the last eight or nine years? Well, one season and then he becomes a target again… Some experts do it just to get attention, maybe because they haven’t been successful in other areas of life. So now he needs to perform well.”
The Croatian centre-back singled out Sky Sports pundit and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, accusing him of lacking the courage to voice his criticism directly. Lovren revealed that he too had been the victim of Carragher’s abusive language while in England.
“Carragher in particular says whatever he wants to say,” Lovren added. “I always said I should say this to his face, and I should tell Mo to his face. He’ll never say that, because I know he’ll never say that, because he’s never said it to me.
“He’s said bad things about me too, but he’s never said that to me anyway. You know, he’s just on TV and he’s getting paid to do it, so he has to act like this.”
Strong friendships forged in Liverpool
Lovren’s passionate defending is perhaps unsurprising given the close friendship he had with Salah during their time at Liverpool.
The pair became well known for their friendship off the pitch and shared the club’s most successful period under former manager Jurgen Klopp.
Having witnessed Salah’s influence first-hand, Lovren clearly feels the forward’s achievements deserve more recognition than recent reviews.
Salah’s Liverpool legacy remains safe
Despite recent criticism, Salah’s place among Liverpool’s all-time great players is already firmly established.
The Egyptian forward helped bring several major accolades to Anfield and was a consistently elite player throughout his time on Merseyside.
A falling out with Arne Slott ultimately led to Salah announcing his departure, with the Egyptian King set to end his impressive Anfield days at the end of the 2025/26 season.
Unfortunately for him, just weeks after Salah’s departure, the club decided to sack Slott and replace him with Andoni Iraola.
Looking back, Liverpool fans will always wonder if Salah would have stayed if Liverpool had sacked him sooner.
