Dejan Lovren Defends Mohamed Salah Against Criticism

Dejan Lovren has launched a fierce defence of Mohamed Salah, accusing pundits and Liverpool’s former manager Arne Slot of helping drive the Egyptian icon out of Anfield.

The Croatian, one of Salah’s closest friends in football, said the tone of criticism aimed at the forward after a below-par campaign went far beyond fair analysis.

“It’s disgusting”

Speaking to WinWin, Lovren did not soften a single word when asked about the reaction to Salah’s dip in form following his stellar 2024-25 season.

"The way they treated him this season is not harsh," he said. "It's disgusting. Why didn't they talk about him like this for the past eight or nine years? Tell me... OK, one season, and then he's the target again. There are so many other issues."

For almost a decade, Salah has carried Liverpool’s attack and rewritten the club’s record books. One season short of his own standard, and the narrative turned. Lovren made it clear he believes the backlash crossed a line from footballing criticism into something personal.

The former Liverpool centre-back also went straight at one of the club’s most high-profile voices.

Lovren vs Carragher

Jamie Carragher has previously labelled Salah “selfish” in his play. Lovren, who shared a dressing room with both men, suggested those comments owed more to the demands of television than to any deep tactical insight.

"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.

Then came the challenge.

"I always said he should tell him this to his face, say all these things to Mo to his face. He'll never say that. Because I know he never will, because he never said it to me. He's talked badly about me too, but he never said that to me anyway. You know, he's just performing on TV and he gets paid for it, so he needs to perform this way."

Those are not the words of a man trying to keep doors open at his old club. Lovren clearly feels Salah has been hung out to dry in the court of pundit opinion, with Carragher front and centre.

Finger pointed at Slot

Lovren did not stop with the media. He went straight to the dugout.

Beyond the noise around Salah’s future, he laid responsibility for the Egyptian’s decision to leave firmly at the feet of former Liverpool manager Arne Slot, citing a broken relationship and a toxic working environment for the club’s record Premier League goalscorer.

"I don't think it's the management (that pushed Salah to leave)," the PAOK defender said. "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."

Lovren then drew a sharp contrast with the era under Jurgen Klopp.

"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. But (with Slot) it was the opposite. It's that simple, and everyone knows it because when you look at the previous eight or nine seasons, he did really well."

In Lovren’s eyes, the story is straightforward: trust with Klopp, fracture with Slot, and a legend walking away from a place that once felt like home.

“Mo never felt that support”

Lovren’s criticism extended beyond the manager’s office to the wider leadership and dressing room. He echoed Salah’s own sense of isolation, arguing that Liverpool failed to protect their star man when the storm hit.

"There are other players who should also take responsibility and say, 'yes, this is my fault', but you know, some players never came forward," he said.

"There was mismanagement; internally, they didn't handle it well. They didn't handle it well. Even if you have some problems, you have to talk about it in the dressing room, and like I said, Mo never felt that support."

While Salah’s name dominated the back pages, Lovren believes others escaped the spotlight during a difficult season.

"He was always the front-page headline, 'Ah, it's Mohamed Salah, don't be surprised.' I mean... it's a deep-seated issue."

A club legend leaves, feeling unprotected, singled out, and at odds with his manager. Lovren has drawn his battle lines. The real question now is how Liverpool redraw theirs in a future without Mohamed Salah.