Mohamed Salah is “too good” to be playing for Trabzonspor and should have stayed in a top European league after leaving Liverpool, according to Jamie Carragher. Salah is poised to sign a two-year deal with the Turkish side after being mobbed by excited fans at the airport on Wednesday.

Salah is a free agent after walking away from Liverpool – and his £400,000-a-week contract – at the end of last season. He has ended up in the north of Turkey, where he will play for the side which finished third in the Super Lig last season.

Trabzonspor, who have Manchester United loanee Andre Onana in goal, last won the title in 2022 and will play in the Europa League next season. They have won the race to sign Salah, who will be officially unveiled on Thursday evening, having already been given a seismic welcome by thousands of fans at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul and then later at Trabzon Airport.

There had been speculation that the 34-year-old would end up in Saudi Arabia, due to his sky-high wage demands. But Carragher is disappointed he didn’t end up in Italy, where he could have continued to play at a high level and prolong his career like Cristiano Ronaldo.

“I never believed he was going to go to Saudi, because number one, he’s too good for that. I think he can be playing in Serie A. Turkey for me feels a level too low,” he told the Football Ramble.

“I was convinced he’d end up at an AC Milan or Juventus or somewhere like that, maybe his wages were a problem. Looking at him, I don’t know him, obviously have never spoken to him.

“But he’s like Ronaldo, he’s so driven, his numbers mean so much to him. I thought, he can still do this in Turkey by the way, but I thought he’d want to play at a real prestigious club.”

Salah’s wages were always likely to be a barrier for interested clubs and it seems the Egyptian was an unrealistic signing for many big clubs. While Trabzonspor haven’t had to pay a transfer fee, they have completely altered their wage structure to make the biggest signing in their history.

“Obviously his wage demands have put a few people off but I thought he might almost curb those demands a little bit to almost get a better club,” Carragher added.

“To go to an AC Milan or Juventus or whoever it may be, play at the San Siro, still playing in big games, still playing in Europe. Turkey just feels like… I just think he’s better than that.”