Alan Shearer Exclusive: Mo Salah will go down as a Liverpool great and one of Premier League's best ever

Salah is one of Liverpool's and the Premier League's greatest

Mo Salah is one of the greats of Liverpool and one of the greats of the Premier League. I think when you look at the big names who have graced Liverpool; Dalglish, Gerrard, I mean, there's no doubt he's in the top five of Liverpool greats. But still when you consider how many greats have been at that football club, that's some achievement.

No one could have predicted what he's done. He's just been absolutely outstanding and held himself in the highest regard in terms of what he's done, what he's achieved, what he's won, the number of goals and assists. I mean, everything's just been special.

Yes, there's no doubt about it he is a Premier League great. I think when you look at the great players over the years in the Premier League, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Dennis Bergkamp and all these guys, then without doubt he's right up there. He's been a credit to Liverpool and obviously himself.

He's 33 now and unfortunately time catches up with us sometimes, as hard as it is to take but it does and maybe that's the case with him. I think he's probably earned the right to go and have another two or three years playing somewhere in the sunshine where it's not as fierce, not as ferocious and not as quick as it is in the Premier League and wherever he chooses to go, I'm sure he's still got a load more goals in him. 

The Premier League is without doubt the hardest league in the world. It's just relentless and he deserves the right to go and play another two or three years somewhere in the sunshine.

Salah leaves a huge gap for Liverpool to fill

I guess it was always going to be a difficult decision for him to leave Liverpool because he was given a two-year contract last year, he's got one year left and obviously he could sit on that but that wouldn't be the right thing to do so it's been mutually agreed that he'll leave. After all he's done for the club and achieved and what the club's done for him and the platform that they've given him, they've come to the right decision for both parties I think.

I've always said it's better to get off the stage when people are shouting for more and it's the right time for him. He's a great, there's no doubt about it, so it is the right time, yeah.

He is a big gap to fill now for Liverpool, an unbelievable gap. But so was Kevin Keegan, John Toshack, Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush, Peter Beardsley, Alan Hansen and Steven Gerrard.

That football has had some unbelievable greats, but they always go out and somehow find another one. I mean, good luck trying to replace him, that's going to be a difficult task.

Liverpool Football Club always do that. They've got the young boy, Rio Ngumoha so they may give him more opportunities. But I guess they'll have to go out and get someone.

Liverpool look extremely tired and defensively are a mess

Liverpool's inconsistency has been ridiculous, but most teams have been like that in the Premier League, other than perhaps Arsenal. With Liverpool, I guess the spotlight is bigger because of how much they've spent and what they've spent it on. They look as if they're on their last legs. I was a little bit reluctant to go overboard after the result against Galatasaray at Anfield because of the weak opposition.

They've gone into that game in the Premier League and it's back to having no energy, back to being all over the place. I mean, Van Dijk, Konate and the back four were a mess. They were all over the place and Brighton deserved to win the game. It was really, really poor from Liverpool again.

They look very, very tired. They don't look cohesive in terms of how easy it is for teams to get through them. Whereas certainly for large parts of last season, they had energy, they looked solid defensively and they're totally opposite to that now. But they're still in the Champions League and FA Cup and they're still going for Champions League football in terms of the top four or top five. But what we've seen up to now, particularly league-wise has been miles off what Liverpool need.

The hurt of Tyne/Wear derby losses will stay with Newcastle until next season

Premier League-wise it's been really poor for Newcastle. I think from the standards that have been set over the last couple of years, they've been miles off it and Sunday was another kick in the teeth because first off it was going well, we got the goal and could have got another, but the second half was really poor.

They offered nothing in return to Sunderland's fight and when they upped the tempo and when they had the better of the game, Newcastle didn't have a reply, which was the biggest disappointment.

You can't be beaten in the manner that Newcastle have been beaten in both games home and away to your bitter rivals. That will be the hurt that the fans and players and everyone will be feeling. You're not going to get rid of that this season. You're not going to get rid of that until you play them again next season. But they deserved it. They deserved the three points. You can't take anything away from them as much as it hurts to say that.

Last summer was a disaster for Newcastle and has set them back 18 months

I think you have to look at the bigger picture. I'm not excusing any performance in the league because it's been really poor. But you also have to look at how and why Newcastle are in this situation. 

I mean, clearly, last summer was a disaster and it's probably set them back 18 months. So, they're going to have to have a reset again this summer. And there were mitigating circumstances in terms of no Sporting Director, no Chief Executive. But then you have to ask why. Why wasn't there? So, all of these things and all the questions have to be asked.

How come they were allowed to spend an absolute fortune, yet they still haven't filled the void of a centre forward despite spending £125million? How can you spend that and why hasn't it worked? Who signed those off? All those questions have to be asked.

In terms of the bigger picture, I think Eddie Howe will be as disappointed as anyone on how and why what's happened this season in the league. But we've also been in the Champions League.

That doesn't mean that there shouldn't be a huge review of what's gone wrong this season, and they will have to do that because this summer for Newcastle is going to be huge in terms of where they're to be next season and the seasons after.

It is not Igor Tudor's fault the state that Tottenham are in

It was really poor at the weekend again for Spurs. I watched the whole game and the alarming thing for Spurs is being beaten 3-0 by a team who you're scrapping with yourselves, particularly at home. And again, where was the response? Forest scored late on in the first half and you're thinking, OK, what have you got? Give us something in reply, and the second half was even worse.

You can feel the edginess and I get that. I understand that. But defensively, they're just all over the place and that's more important than anything, particularly at any level of football. You can't defend like that, like they did. The lack of energy or drive to stop balls coming into the box is one thing and then the lack of fighting and scraping when people are in and around the box. There wasn't anyone anywhere near Morgan Gibbs-White before his goal. The alarming thing for Spurs is how are they going to keep a clean sheet? They're just a mess defensively.

It's not Igor Tudor's fault but obviously he's picked up one point from five games, but the club was a mess before he got there. You're not going to be put in his situation without the club being in a mess. As tough as it is, he hasn't been able to have an impact on the squad and on the Football Club. Now, clearly, he's going through a terrible, horrible time off the pitch in terms of the death of his father. It's an impossible time for him and Spurs are in a deep mess.

Arsenal are mentally strong and can still win multiple trophies

Well, we don't know is the simple answer to if losing the Carabao Cup will stop Arsenal's momentum this season. Correct me if I'm wrong, but after every disappointment Arsenal have had this season, they've gone on a winning run which suggests that they're mentally strong. They're going to have to do the same again. They can either use it as a spur to go on and win their title or whatever they want to win.

Their next game is Southampton away in the FA Cup. I'm working on that one and that'll be huge for them. It's all about how they react. But when they've had disappointments this season, they have reacted in the right way, and they have to do it again.

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