Mo Salah: Liverpool star hugely disappointed as Slot and Hughes questioned about £35m transfer blunder

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, who has sent a message to new Aston Villa signing Harvey Elliott

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has given his brutally honest verdict on Arne Slot and Richard Hughes’ decision to offload Harvey Elliott to Aston Villa in the summer transfer window, with Gary Lineker also chipping in, but this is not the first time that the Egyptian superstar has been vocal about the defending Premier League champions’ transfer activity.

The 2025 summer transfer window was a hugely eventful one for Liverpool, who spent a whopping £446million (€515m, $600m) on new players – a record sum splashed out by a Premier League club in a single window. Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike were the three biggest signings at Anfield, with the Sweden international striker now holding the British transfer record at £130m (€150m, $175m).

Liverpool funded the moves by offloading a number of players that manager Slot and sporting director Hughes did not think were good enough.

One of the players who was got rid of, and that too on the final day of the summer transfer window, was Elliott.

The 22-year-old, who can play as an attacking midfielder or as a winger, joined Villa on an initial season-long loan deal, with an obligation to make it permanent for £35m (€40.4m, $47m).

Elliott was a peripheral figure for Liverpool last season, as the former Fulham youngster could make only two starts in the Premier League and just one start in the Champions League.

Liverpool forward Salah has broken his silence on Elliott’s exit, and his heartfelt message on X shows that the Egypt international forward is hugely disappointed that that the young gem was offloaded.

The former Chelsea attacker has also backed Elliott to star for Villa and have a successful career.

Salah wrote about Elliott at 10:31am on September 4: “You’ll be remembered for your loyalty and dedication every time you were called upon.

“You leave as a champion, and I’ve got no doubt you’ll do big things at your new club. They are lucky to have you.”

Salah’s honest verdict on Elliott comes after former Tottenham Hotspur and Everton striker Gary Lineker questioned Liverpool’s decision to sell him permanently instead of sending him out on a straight loan deal.

Lineker said on The Rest Is Football podcast: “I think also, it’s good for Harvey.

“He was the player of the tournament in the Euros at the Under-21s in the summer. He’s very talented, but he needs to play, doesn’t he?

“I thought he might just go out on loan, but I think they’ve got him for 30-odd million. I think that could result in a really good buy.”

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Mo Salah defends former Liverpool duo Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez

While Elliott’s move to Villa was completed on transfer deadline day, earlier in the summer, Liverpool offloaded Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez.

While Colombia international winger Diaz joined Bayern Munich, Uruguay international striker Nunez moved to the Saudi Pro League to sign for Al-Hilal.

Nunez’s exit was always on the cards, with the 26-year-old losing his place in Arne Slot’s starting line-up last season.

Although the striker was always hard-working and gave his all on the pitch, his failure to take important chances in front of goal was a source of constant frustration among the Liverpool fans.

Diaz was a popular figure and chipped in with 13 goals and five assists in the Premier League last season, as Liverpool became the champions of England in Slot’s first year in charge.

Wirtz and Isak are among the new signings that Liverpool made this summer.

Liverpool fans are over the moon with the transfer activity, but in a recent post, Salah urged them to have respect for the likes of Diaz and Nunez, who helped the Merseyside club become the champions of England last season.

How about we celebrate the great signings without disrespecting the PL champions? https://t.co/lRug6oFYCt — Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) September 3, 2025

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Real Madrid are ready to make a move for a young Liverpool gem, whose performances have hugely impressed the Spanish and European giants.

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