Liverpool’s new era under Arne Slot is facing an unexpected storm as Germany’s leading sports daily, Sport Bild, has launched a fierce critique of Mohamed Salah, dramatically accusing the Egyptian forward of “blocking” the rise of £116million signing Florian Wirtz.
Wirtz arrived from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer amid huge fanfare, his fee setting a new British transfer record before Alexander Isak’s move from Newcastle eclipsed it. Billed as the creative heartbeat of Liverpool’s next generation, the 21-year-old German international has so far struggled to impose himself in the Premier League. Eleven league games have produced no goals and no assists, a stark contrast to his prolific spell in the Bundesliga, where he scored 57 times in 197 appearances for Leverkusen.
While many observers have urged patience, arguing that Wirtz is adapting to a new league, country and system, Sport Bild has chosen a different target: Salah. In a searing Wednesday column, the paper claimed Liverpool’s eighth-place position in the Premier League and Wirtz’s poor form are being fuelled by the Egyptian’s “stubbornness” and reluctance to integrate new signings on the pitch.
King of the Champions’: German Paper’s Scathing Assessment of Salah
Sport Bild’s criticism goes far beyond routine analysis of form and tactics. The publication paints Salah as a domineering figure whose on-field decisions are harming both Wirtz and Liverpool’s broader rebuild.
“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,” the paper argues. Salah has registered three assists in the league this season – all converted by long-standing team-mates, not by the new arrivals. To the German outlet, that statistic is not a coincidence but a pattern, interpreted as evidence that he favours established partners over newcomers.
The language used is unusually sharp. Salah is labelled a “major problem for Liverpool and Wirtz,” and described as “the king of the champions, seemingly blocking their successful new beginning.” The implication is that the 32-year-old remains the central star in a team that is trying to transition towards a younger attacking core, with Wirtz earmarked as the future leader. “There’s no doubt that he’s intended to be the leader of the future,” Sport Bild insists, suggesting that the Egyptian’s influence is delaying that handover.
Dressing-Room Dynamics and the Question of a Successor
Beyond statistics, Sport Bild delves into dressing-room dynamics. The report claims Salah’s “stubbornness” is frequently discussed within Liverpool’s inner circle, hinting at tension between preserving the old guard and empowering the new. Although no specific sources are named, the portrayal is of a star reluctant to relinquish centre stage or adjust his game to accelerate Wirtz’s integration.
In the German narrative, Wirtz is not just another signing; he is Salah’s heir apparent in the attacking hierarchy. The €140m valuation attached to him in Germany underscores that expectation. By depicting Salah as an obstacle to this succession, the paper frames the issue almost like a royal drama: an established king and a crown prince waiting in the wings.
“The question is, who will dethrone Salah? The club, the coach, or his team-mates?” the article asks pointedly. That rhetorical flourish signals a belief that a decisive moment is coming, when Liverpool must formally shift from the Salah era to a new attacking identity built around Wirtz and other big-money recruits. Whether that perception reflects reality inside Anfield or is an external projection remains open to debate, but it adds an extra layer of intrigue to an already delicate situation.
Mixed Numbers on the Pitch and Neville’s Brutal Verdict
On the field, the picture is more nuanced than the German criticism suggests. Salah’s own numbers remain respectable: four goals and two assists in 11 Premier League games speak to a player who, while perhaps not at his explosive peak, is still delivering tangible output. Yet that productivity has not translated into collective success, with Liverpool sitting a disappointing eighth in the table and lacking their usual fluency in the final third.
Wirtz, by contrast, has found himself under the harshest glare. The German playmaker’s lack of returns – no goals, no assists in the league so far – has amplified scrutiny of every performance. The nadir came before the international break in a 3–0 defeat away to Manchester City, where he was physically and tactically overwhelmed by the hosts’ midfield.
On his podcast, former Manchester United defender Gary Neville pulled no punches, calling Wirtz “a problem” and saying he “looked like a little boy out there.” Neville acknowledged the usual caveats – young age, new country, stylistic adjustment – but insisted that a £120m price tag leaves no room for prolonged teething trouble. “He’s a German international of great standing and he looks well short of what you’d expect from a top physical match,” Neville said, urging Liverpool to “get him up to speed” and inject more tenacity into his game.
Those comments highlight the broader challenge: Liverpool must simultaneously protect a young talent’s confidence and justify a record fee, all while trying to remain competitive in a demanding league. Whether Salah’s presence is part of the problem, as Sport Bild alleges, or a necessary support during a transitional phase is a matter of perspective.
Saudi Arabia on the Horizon? Future Questions for Salah and Liverpool
Perhaps the most explosive element of the German report is its speculation about Salah’s long-term future. Sport Bild floats the possibility that the Liverpool icon could move to Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2026, revisiting a storyline that has hovered around the Egyptian for several transfer windows.
Saudi Pro League clubs have repeatedly tested Liverpool’s resolve with eye-watering bids, viewing Salah as the marquee name who could further boost the league’s profile. For now, Liverpool have resisted, preferring to keep a player who remains central to their commercial and sporting projects. Yet the paper’s suggestion that a 2026 departure “seems quite possible” taps into a wider sense that a natural endpoint to the relationship is approaching.
If that scenario unfolds, the debate around Wirtz’s development takes on an even greater significance. Liverpool invested heavily in the German to ensure the club would not be left scrambling when the Salah chapter eventually closes. For that long-term strategy to succeed, Wirtz must evolve from a highly rated prospect into a consistent match-winner at Anfield. The current scrutiny, while harsh, reflects the scale of that responsibility.
Pressure Mounts Ahead of Nottingham Forest Clash
The immediate opportunity to reshape the narrative comes at Anfield this Saturday, when Liverpool host Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. For Salah, Wirtz and Arne Slot, the match offers a chance to answer critics the only way that ultimately matters: on the pitch.
Victory, combined with a strong performance from Wirtz, would go some way towards quietening talk of dressing-room politics and personal agendas. A decisive Salah assist or a first Premier League goal for the German playmaker would instantly reopen the conversation about how the pair can function as allies rather than rivals in Liverpool’s attack. Conversely, another disjointed display would deepen questions over the team’s balance, the use of its record signing and the role of its long-time talisman.
For now, Sport Bild’s broadside has injected an added layer of drama into Liverpool’s season. A club accustomed to being defined by unity and collective purpose finds itself framed, at least from abroad, as a stage for a power struggle between past and future. Whether that narrative sticks or is swiftly overturned may depend on what Salah and Wirtz produce together in the coming weeks—starting with Nottingham Forest, where Liverpool will hope that headlines about character assassination and internal tension give way to a story of goals, understanding and revival.
