Liverpool have kicked off the season like a house on fire—five league wins, a Champions League victory, and enough swagger to remind everyone they’re still the big bad wolf of English football. Yet amid the fireworks, Alan Shearer claims Liverpool star Milos Kerkez is “not the same player” who once tormented full-backs during his Bournemouth days. And when Shearer raises an eyebrow, the football world tends to listen.
Alan Shearer raises concerns about Kerkez
Shearer, speaking on NBC Sports, pointed out that Kerkez looks more hesitant than he ever did in Bournemouth colors. Once a freewheeling left-back who bombed forward with reckless abandon, Kerkez now seems stuck in football purgatory—unsure whether to attack or babysit Virgil van Dijk. Against Burnley, his early yellow card forced Arne Slot to drag him off, making the “new signing glow-up” look more like a “mid-season crisis.”
Alan Shearer sees a theme under Slot
The bigger issue isn’t just Kerkez—it’s the system. Slot wants discipline and shape, which means the license to roam has turned into a learner’s permit with a lot of speed bumps. Kerkez lives on chaos; Slot wants regiment. At this point, the gamer is alluding to an individual trying to dance to techno and the DJ is changing his music to a slow waltz.
Alan Shearer spot on—but here’s my take
Honestly? Shearer isn’t wrong. Kerkez does look like a shadow of himself. But let’s cut the kid some slack. He’s 21, just arrived in the biggest pressure cooker of his career, and is adjusting to a coach who’d probably yell at Monet for using too much color. If Liverpool keeps winning, nobody will remember these teething problems. If they slip, well, the knives will come out faster than you can say “left-back depth.”
Alan Shearer sets the tone for Liverpool’s reality check
Liverpool may be undefeated, but Shearer’s observation is a timely reminder: winning papers over cracks, but cracks don’t vanish. Kerkez has the tools, but whether Slot lets him use them will decide if he’s remembered as “the kid who arrived with hype” or “the guy who made left-back boring.”
