'It's the right time' for Mohamed Salah to leave as Alan Shearer insists Liverpool can 'find another' Premier League great to replace him

Shearer has paid glowing tribute to Mohamed Salah, labelilng the Egyptian as one of the definitive figures in the history of both Liverpool and the English top flight. The forward recently sent shockwaves through the footballing world by releasing a highly emotional video across social media to announce his impending departure at the end of the 2025-26 campaign.

Speaking via Betfair, Shearer said: "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. He is a big gap to fill now for Liverpool, an unbelievable gap. 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. Everything's just been special."

Despite Salah’s continued importance to the side, Shearer believes that at 33 years of age, the time is right for a change of scenery. The Egyptian has been heavily linked with a move to the Middle East, with reports suggesting Al-Ittihad are ready to make him the new face of their project following his announcement.

"He’s 33 now and unfortunately time catches up with us sometimes," Shearer explained. "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. 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. It's been mutually agreed after all he's done for the club and achieved and what the club's done for him. They've come to the right decision for both parties."

While the prospect of life without Salah is daunting for many Reds supporters, Shearer pointed to the club's long-standing ability to unearth new superstars after the departure of legendary figures. Although his agent Ramy Abbas has warned against speculation regarding the player's next move, the focus at Anfield will soon shift to who comes next.

Shearer noted: "He is a big gap to fill, an unbelievable gap. But so was Kevin Keegan, John Toshack, Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush, Peter Beardsley, Alan Hansen and Steven Gerrard. That football club somehow has 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."

The exit news comes during a difficult period on the pitch for Arne Slot’s men. Following a recent disappointing defeat to Brighton, Shearer voiced concerns over the team’s current physical state and defensive cohesion, suggesting they look a shadow of the side that challenged for top honours in previous seasons.

"Liverpool look extremely tired and defensively are a mess. Van Dijk, Konate and the back four were a mess," Shearer observed. "They look as if they're on their last legs. 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. What we've seen up to now, particularly league-wise has been miles off what Liverpool need."