Alan Shearer Exclusive: I don't like what Mo Salah has done to Arne Slot this season

I don't like what Salah has done to Arne Slot

There's a couple of caveats to the Mo Salah conundrum this weekend. If Arne Slot knows that he's not going be the Liverpool manager next season, then he should leave him out.

If he's not going to be the manager, and I don't know whether he knows that I don't know whether there's been discussions with that, I guess there is, but I mean he has dropped one on him, again, Mo Salah, hasn't he? And the worrying thing, I also guess, is that how many other players in the squad liked his post, you know, so clearly, it's not a happy dressing room.

Salah is leaving. In the context of two of the greatest in Dalglish and Gerrard that have played for Liverpool, he's put himself right in the conversation alongside them, but I don't think he's gone past those two.

I don't like what he's done this season in terms of calling the manager out a couple of times. I get that they don't get on.

I had a similar situation with Ruud Gullit at Newcastle and I know how tough that can be but the club's always the most important thing and It's been a difficult spell for Liverpool after what happened last season because we all thought at the beginning of the season that they were going to go on and dominate and they didn't.

They've been awful. But Mo Salah hasn't exactly been great himself this season, has he?

Alonso can get Chelsea back challenging for titles

There's one thing I would say about Xabi Alonso taking the Chelsea role is that it's not a coincidence he's the manager rather than a head coach which suggests to me that he's got so many things in his contract that it'll be watertight.

For Chelsea to be successful, it couldn't keep on going the way it is. It had to have someone at the helm who was making big decisions. And I guess the title of manager means he's going to be making big decisions, who's coming in and who's going out.

So, if that is going to be the case, and with the finance behind them, I would think Chelsea will be there or thereabouts next season. They have to be in the title hunt and they have to be in the trophy hunt. They can't have another season like they've had this season.

Carrick deserves the United job but it's a different task now

Michael Carrick deserves a crack at the United job because of his record, and he was asked to do a job, and he's done that job very well. But it is a completely different job now.

You need a bigger squad, you need better players in, you're going to have more games and let's see who they bring in ahead of next season, because there's no doubt about it, they need another three or four players. Not squad players. Players ready to come into the team. So, let's see, but he definitely deserves a crack at going again next season.

It will all come down to how much Man United do spend, I do think they need three or four starters in that first XI. It's going to be a fascinating summer, between now and the first game, or during the transfer window, I guess. I know it's going to be tough for a lot of clubs because there's going to be a lot of players in the World Cup.

City will need to recruit. They all need to recruit. Man United definitely need three or four big ones.

Arsenal can be a bit more relaxed heading into the Champions League final

Arsenal deserved to win the league. There's never any team that gets through 38 games in a league season that we've had in the last 20 or 30 years that isn't the best team, and that they don't deserve it, because there are moments that you look back on and you think, they might have got a bit fortunate there, or they perhaps didn't deserve to win that game there, but in the main the best team wins the title.

That's why it's such a tough, relentless, physically and mentally tough season for whoever wins it. And it's been that for Arsenal because they've been under huge pressure because of finishing second so many times under Mikel Arteta. So, he deserves great credit.

I've been there myself. The longer it goes on, the harder it is that you get one or two bad results and people are talking about you bottling it but then that makes it all the more sweeter for the Arsenal staff, for all the players, for the manager, for the fans.

I tell you, the relief that they would have had on Tuesday night, they were all there watching the game. We wouldn't have even known that if Man City had won because it would have gone away quietly, gone back into training this morning and nothing would have come out.

But Arsenal deserves the celebrations, they deserve a drink or two and goodness knows what state they'll be in on Sunday for the last game.

I guess they're still partying now, and so they should be because it's been a long, hard season mentally and physically for them.

Now, they can go into the Crystal Palace game relaxed, and they can also go into the Champions League a little bit more relaxed and have more belief because as you can imagine going into that game without winning the league, how tough it would have been. They deserve it, they've been the best team, and it'll be a great few days for Arsenal and for their fans.

Summer transfer window really important for clubs chasing Arsenal

Arsenal will want it again next season. They'll want to go back-to-back. Man City did it four times, didn't they? Which is an incredible achievement.

They'll have a good summer, most of their players will be away on World Cup duty. The manager will have a well-earned rest, he'll do some traveling, I'm sure. But I'm also sure that they can start and plan now to get one or two big names in, which you have to do when you're champions, so I guess the recruitment has already started.

It'll be interesting to see what they do, or who they'll bring in. But yeah, it's go-again time after a very busy summer.

Man City will fight back though next season. I mean, with the players that they have, and I guess the recruitment that they'll have ahead of next season and that can only be a good thing.

They haven't been good enough this year by their own very high standards and they didn't deserve to win the Premier League so they'll go again in the summer with their recruitment, as Liverpool will, as Man United will and as Chelsea will.

It's a really interesting time for all these chasing clubs. I mean, particularly Man City because it does look as if Pep's leaving. It does look as if Enzo Maresca is going to be the next manager so yeah, it'll be a really important summer and a really important next season for them to see how Man City cope.

Fascinating Sunday at the bottom of the league

If you think there's pressure at the top of the league, then you go down to the bottom, that's where livelihoods change. That's where people lose jobs at football clubs if a club gets relegated. So that's the hardest part, and one of Spurs or West Ham are going to get relegated.

There's an argument to say that both deserve to go down because, I mean, I saw West Ham last week, I was at the game at Newcastle on Sunday, oh my goodness, they were so bad defensively. They came in with a new system, tried to play five at the back and changed after 25 minutes or so because they were 2-0 down. But they were really, really poor.

Even a win might not even be good enough for them but they've got to try and get that win and try and put as much pressure on Tottenham Hotspur as possible, because you can imagine the picture where we're flicking to Tottenham's ground and we're flicking to West Ham at different points on Sunday afternoon.

Everton have got a really good away record so that'll be tough for Spurs. Their home form's been really poor, Spurs. So, as I said, West Ham have got to try and put as much pressure on as possible. It's going to be a fascinating Sunday down the bottom of the league.

I guess for West Ham and for Spurs, it's going to be an absolute nightmare for whoever goes. But whoever it is can't really complain. Very much like who wins the title, whoever goes down, the three can't complain after 38 games. And both West Ham and Spurs have been miserable this season. They've been terrible. It's not as if it's a big surprise for both clubs. Spurs were there or thereabouts last season and West Ham have been on their way to this happening for a while as well.

It's going to be an interesting Sunday. I'm just pleased that it's not my club that I support, because it's going to be such a nervy afternoon for West Ham and for Spurs supporters.

Levi Colwill can make the England World Cup squad

My left field shout to make the England World Cup squad would be Levi Colwill. I watched him in the FA Cup Final last Saturday. I know it was a disappointing day for Chelsea, but I think the one player that stood out for them was him. I thought his defending was excellent, his forward passing was brilliant, he looked fit. Obviously, the England manager was there watching him.

If there's gonna be one left-field pick, and there may be one, I don't know. It would be one of either him or Morgan Gibbs-White because he has been sensational the last couple of months and scored goal after goal after goal.

They've certainly given Tuchel something to think about, so if there is going to be one, it will be one of those two.

I am surprised that Mourinho has gone back to Real Madrid

Well, I wouldn't put anything past Jose Mourinho and what he can do for this Real Madrid team, but I was really surprised that he's going back to Real Madrid, because I guess after where he went, and he went to Turkey, then went back to Portugal for Benfica. I know they haven't lost a game all season, but they have finished third. But he is Jose Mourinho and he has got an incredible record.

His record in Portugal this season is one thing but going back to Real Madrid where they've been miles behind Barcelona this season in La Liga is another. So, I am surprised but I would never write him off because of who and what he is.

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