Alan Shearer says Liverpool have a brilliant player who is so similar to Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka

Add as preferred source on Google

Liverpool and Arsenal look set to go head-to-head at the top of the Premier League table once again this season.

The Reds ran the Gunners close for a runners-up spot last term, ultimately finishing five points behind Mikel Arteta’s side.

Having finished second to Manchester City in each of the past two years, Arsenal will be desperate to go one better in 2024/25.

Key to their title claim will be Bukayo Saka. The Gunners’ academy graduate has quickly become something of a talisman for Arteta.

Liverpool were linked with Saka back in 2022, before he signed a new contract to stay at the Emirates Stadium. At that time, it was claimed that Saka was desperate to play in the Champions League.

The 23-year-old has since fulfilled that dream and scored again at Europe’s top table on Tuesday. And just one day later, Alan Shearer has claimed that he saw a Liverpool player show shades of Saka in the same competition.

Alan Shearer makes Mohamed Salah comparison with Bukayo Saka

You can understand why Liverpool were keen on Saka while his future at Arsenal was still up for grabs.

The England international would have made a superb succession plan for Mohamed Salah on the Liverpool right.

There is a relative dearth of left-footed wingers compared to right-footers, meaning a top one can be worth his weight in gold.

Liverpool could find the true reality of that in just a few short months, with Salah currently set to leave on a free transfer next summer.

READ MORE: Mohamed Salah has done something only John Barnes can match for Liverpool this season

Reports have claimed that the Reds are looking at signing Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund, but he’s not in the same class as Salah or Saka.

And while the Liverpool man remains the far more accomplished player, Shearer has told The Rest Is Football that the two players share a similar trait for cutting inside and curling in finishes.

“Once he moves into that position, very much like Saka isn’t he,” said the Premier League legend while analysing Salah’s goal against Bologna.

“Once he moves into that position and he just moves the defender you know what he’s trying to do and inevitably, more often than not the ball hits the back of the net. It was a great finish.”

Mohamed Salah still lightyears ahead of Bukayo Saka

We understand where Shearer is coming from with this comparison. Being left-footers who play on the right, of course Salah and Saka like to come inside and shoot.

But despite the Arsenal forward’s improvement over the past 18 months, this is still a much bigger compliment for Saka than it is for Salah.

The Liverpool man continues to out-score his younger colleague even as Arsenal develop into a top team.

This season, Salah’s strike against Bologna was sixth of the campaign. Saka by comparison has two. Even in the best goal-scoring year of his career last time out, the England man still under-scored Salah – who hit his lowest tally in four years – by five.

Of course, Saka is still a work in progress and will perhaps continue to get better. But if this comparison is ever made, it should always be clear who the blueprint is. Of course it’s Mo.