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Mohamed Salah has been blamed for Florian Wirtz's difficult start to life at Liverpool in a bizarre claim from German media this week.
Both players have struggled during the first few months of the season, with Salah not hitting the same heights he did during the Reds’ title triumph last year. Wirtz though has come under the microscope following his record-breaking transfer from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer.
The 23-year-old is yet to score and has registered just three assists in his 16 appearances for the club so far. Wirtz did offer a glimpse of what he could bring to Anfield during the international break, although questions still remain over his position at Liverpool.
He has been used on the left in recent games by Arne Slot, but while he did impress against Real Madrid, his performance against Manchester City a few days later was panned by some pundits.
Back home in Germany though, Wirtz is being defended, while Salah is being accused of having a negative impact on his new teammate in an astonishing attack.
Sport Bild has suggested that Salah’s failure to assist Wirtz, and Liverpool’s other new arrivals, has been the biggest factor in Liverpool’s struggles so far this season.
“It's noticeable that he's overlooked Wirtz and hasn't made any of the other summer signings, who together cost around half a billion euros, shine,” they wrote in their Wednesday edition.
“Salah has provided three assists this season, all of which led to goals, all for players who have been with the club longer.
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“Salah is increasingly becoming a major problem for Liverpool and Wirtz.”
The takedown continued: “He is the king of the champions, seemingly blocking their successful new beginning. And thus, the future of his successor as the attacking leader: €140m signing Wirtz.
“There's no doubt that he's intended to be the leader of the future.
“The question is, who will dethrone Salah. The club, the coach, or his team-mates? It seems quite possible that Salah will move to Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2026.”
Liverpool.com says: A quite unbelievable conspiracy from our friends in Germany. What benefit would Salah get from deliberately ignoring any of his new teammates?
The Egyptian wasn’t just a prolific goalscorer last season, but also by far the most creative player in the Premier League, so he isn’t going to turn down the opportunity to give his teammates chances, whoever they are.
And it’s not like a few assists from Salah would have made Wirtz’s start to life at Liverpool any better. Let’s be real, the German has not been impressive either so far.
Yes, his teammates have let him down on occasions by failing to put away chances that he’s created, but his performances need to improve in general. Pinning all the blame on someone who doesn’t need to prove themselves to Liverpool is perhaps the biggest stretch we’ve ever seen.
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