Jamie Carragher doubts Salah will stay next season but wants him to finish this campaign at Liverpool for a proper farewell.

Salah appeared emotional after Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Brighton at Anfield, as he prepares to join Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations. Although he started on the bench, he came on early in the first half after Joe Gomez’s injury and delivered an assist for Hugo Ekitiké’s second goal.

That assist brought Salah’s Premier League total to 277 goal contributions, the highest for a single club in the competition’s history, surpassing Wayne Rooney’s 276 for Manchester United.

Still, uncertainty looms over his future. Salah’s recent comments, claiming the club “threw him under the bus,” sparked controversy, and many wonder if his time at Anfield is coming to an end.

Carragher, who previously criticized Salah for those remarks, now urges him to return from AFCON in January and see out the season.

“I don’t see Salah playing for Liverpool next season.”

Speaking on Monday Night Football, Carragher said he doubts the Egyptian will stay at Anfield next season.

I don’t see Salah playing for Liverpool next season. The big thing in my mind is whether we are going to see him from now until the end of the season. We know he is now going to AFCON and that will finish in mid-January.

Carragher credited Arne Slot for including Salah against Brighton despite recent tensions. “It’s obvious he’s got an issue with Arne Slot, and I want to give credit to the manager because he could have easily said Salah is not involved against Brighton. He could have said, ‘We’ll sort it after AFCON. ‘ But no, he thought it was bigger than him, and it was about the team. And it is more important that Salah was on the bench, and he made a contribution.”

He continued by referencing Salah’s emotional reaction at full-time.

Last week I was giving advice to Salah and his agent and I’m going to do it again because what we saw at the end of the game from Salah was a lap of appreciation. He was a bit emotional and he’s probably not sure whether that’s his last time at Anfield.

“He’d regret leaving in January.”

Carragher stressed that Salah’s potential next move wouldn’t be to Europe’s elite clubs.

“If he’s thinking about moving on, I’d urge him to think again because if he [were] to move on now, the talk is he’d go to the Saudi League.”

Salah is not going to move on from Liverpool and join Real Madrid or Barcelona. It’s the Saudi League.

He added that leaving now could bring regret, especially if Liverpool reach a major final.

“Liverpool in the second half of the season could get to an FA Cup final or a Champions League final. Could you imagine Salah in Saudi Arabia at whatever team he is playing for, watching Liverpool come out in Budapest in a Champions League final?”

Carragher then urged Salah to finish what he started, regardless of any tension with the manager. “When you come back at the end of January, you’ll have three months. You might not get on with the manager, but you’ll start some games. You’ll be sub in some games, and you won’t come on in some games, but what we saw at Anfield at the weekend was nicer than what we saw at Elland Road.”

He called for Salah to get the send-off he’s earned.

He deserves a guard of honour, he deserves a display in the Kop and he deserves to be able to bring his family onto the pitch. He deserves to be celebrated at his final game for all he’s done as a Liverpool player.

Carragher closed with a final appeal, “Put your differences with the manager to the side and think three or four months at Liverpool. The worst thing that is going to happen is that he gets a big send-off. The best thing that could happen is he’s walking out with his teammates in Budapest in a Champions League final.
If he’s sat in Saudi Arabia watching Liverpool do that, he’d really regret it.”