Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher has little understanding for Mohamed Salah’s move to Trabzonspor in Turkey.
"Turkey feels a level too low for me," the former England international commented on the Egyptian attacking player's move to the Süper Lig on the "Football Ramble" podcast.
Rather than a move to Trabzonspor in Turkey, Carragher said he would have expected a transfer to Serie A, to "AC Milan or Juventus", where Salah could at least still have played for a top European club.
Above all, though, the 34-year-old's salary demands proved decisive in the move to Turkey. At Trabzonspor, Salah is reportedly earning a net salary of €17 million, a figure no club in Italy could have afforded.
"Of course, his salary demands put some people off, but I thought he might lower those demands a little bit to get a better club," Carragher explained: "To go to AC Milan or Juventus or whoever it may be, to play at San Siro, to keep playing in big games, to keep playing in Europe. Turkey just feels like ... I just think he's better than that."
Mohamed Salah and Liverpool agree contract termination
Salah had most recently spent nine successful years leading the line for Liverpool, winning the Champions League and the Premier League. At the end of June, he left the Reds on a free transfer after both parties agreed an early termination of the contract, which had originally run until 2027.
Now at last season's third-placed team in the Süper Lig, where Salah signed until 2028, the superstar's arrival has sparked huge hype. According to media reports, Trabzonspor have already produced 100,000 shirts with Salah's name and the number 11 on the back.
Trabzonspor open the new season on 15 August away to Kasimpasa. At the end of August, the play-offs for a place in the Europa League are on the schedule.