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Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has questioned Mohamed Salah's decision to join Trabzonspor, arguing that the Egyptian forward remains capable of playing for one of Europe's more prestigious clubs and describing the Turkish Super Lig as a level below where he expected Salah to continue his career.
Salah has agreed to move to Trabzonspor following his departure from Liverpool as a free agent, with thousands of supporters turning out to welcome him in Türkiye. The Turkish club is set to hand him a two-year deal after putting together a reported package worth €17 million per year.
Speaking to the Football Ramble, Carragher said he had never expected Salah to move to Saudi Arabia because he believed the forward was still good enough to compete at a higher level. He added that Salah could still play in Serie A and suggested that a move to Türkiye represented a lower level than he had anticipated.
Carragher said he had pictured Salah moving on to an established Italian club such as AC Milan or Juventus, where he could continue playing major matches and competing in Europe.
He suggested that Salah's wage expectations may have narrowed his options, while adding that he thought the forward might have been willing to bring those demands down in order to join a more prestigious club.
"I was convinced he'd end up at AC Milan or Juventus or somewhere like that; maybe his wages were a problem," Carragher said.
Comparing Salah's mentality with Cristiano Ronaldo's, Carragher pointed to the Egyptian international's focus on performance figures and individual numbers as one reason he had expected him to continue competing at the highest possible level.
Carragher said Salah was highly driven and attached great importance to his numbers, adding that while the forward could continue putting up strong figures in Türkiye, he had expected him to choose what he described as a more prestigious club.
Trabzonspor, who finished third in the Super Lig last season, will compete in the Europa League next season, giving Salah another opportunity to play European football.
However, Carragher said he still believed Salah could have joined a club such as AC Milan or Juventus and continued playing regularly in some of Europe's biggest matches.
He suggested Salah could have lowered his wage demands to open up opportunities at such clubs, where he could have continued playing at venues such as San Siro while remaining involved in major domestic and European matches.
Carragher ultimately maintained that Salah was still capable of playing at a higher level than the Turkish Super Lig.
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