Carragher's Liverpool Bias Hits New Ridiculous Heights with Salah Exit Commentary

Jamie Carragher gets plenty of stick for his perceived Liverpool sympathies, yet the narrative doesn't quite hold water when you consider his willingness to call out Mohamed Salah as "disgraceful" this season or question the character of the squad as a whole. He's even had a dig at the fanbase over their "disrespect" towards Arne Slot and dismissed the February win over Nottingham Forest as one of the "biggest robberies" in recent memory.

Still, a recent appearance on the Stick to Football podcast laid bare the kind of bias that seems to permeate Liverpool's inner circle—and it's genuinely laughable.

The chat turned to Salah's impending exit after the Egyptian announced last month he'd be moving on from Anfield having accumulated six major honours, two Premier League titles among them, a Champions League crown, and an eye-watering 255 goals across 435 appearances.

Steven Gerrard dismissed Gary Neville's "ridiculous" notion that Salah might fancy a move to Chelsea or Arsenal, which seemed fair enough. With reports suggesting the Saudi Pro League or MLS as likely destinations, Carragher chimed in that he could envisage Milan or Inter—reasonable enough, given Salah's self-assessment of his standing.

Then came the real stinker. Carragher proceeded to suggest that no footballer truly thrives after leaving Liverpool, citing conversations with Jordan Henderson, Gerrard himself, and Robbie Fowler—all of whom, he claimed, expressed regret about their departures.

Here's the thing: those three figures represent a very specific bracket of Liverpool players. Gerrard came through the academy and departed in his mid-thirties as arguably the club's greatest ever product. Henderson spent over a decade at the club, captaining them to Champions League and Premier League glory before his Saudi Arabia move—a decision that hardly burnished his legacy. Fowler was a boyhood favourite who played far more games for Liverpool than anywhere else during his career.

Of course they'd express nostalgia for their best years. Carragher's essentially cherry-picked three players whose peak performances happened to coincide with their time on Merseyside.

What about Xabi Alonso? He walked away to land three Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich and a Champions League medal with Real Madrid. Did Carragher ask whether Alonso regretted that trajectory?

Luis Suarez departed to form one of history's most devastating attacking partnerships with Lionel Messi and Neymar at Barcelona. Surely he's lost sleep over that decision?

Raheem Sterling has won ten major trophies since leaving for Manchester City. Presumably he's been inconsolable. And Luis Diaz—oh, the poor lad enduring such hardship at Bayern Munich with 40 goal contributions in 38 games.

The reality cuts against the grain of Carragher's thesis. Players regret leaving clubs all the time, just as they thrive elsewhere all the time. The difference between those who felt the wrench and those who didn't often comes down to individual circumstance rather than some immutable law of football physics. For those who had their greatest moments wearing red, Anfield means everything. For those who found their success elsewhere, it means considerably less.