Stan Collymore: It’s too early to say Liverpool will win the Premier League (interview for Newbettingsites.uk)

Ex-Liverpool striker Stan Collymore has told NewBettingSites.uk that although his former club have a significant lead in the Premier League already, it’s too early to crown them champions.

Speaking to NewBettingSites.uk, Collymore said: “I wasn’t expecting anything other than a Liverpool win against Manchester City given the fact that City aren’t in form at the moment. You could tell from minute one that Liverpool were going for the throat, and they could have scored four or five in the first half an hour.

“As a pundit, not a Liverpool fan, I want to see this Liverpool team lose a couple of games to see how they respond, especially Arne Slot. I want to see how he’d respond to a setback. That said, I give them full value for being where they are at the top of the table. Some opposing fans have been saying that they haven’t faced anyone difficult yet, but it doesn’t matter what order you play them in, you play them and you either win or you don’t.

“I’ve been around football long enough to see that clubs with a really poor run of form can lose to a team lower down the table then go on a run of three or four wins against some of the very best. That’s why we play 38 games, not five or six!

“I’d give Liverpool a solid nine out of 10 so far this season, I can’t bring myself to say that they will win the Premier League, but I can say it’s a really good start. We’ve only played a third of the season and a lot of pundits are saying it’s Liverpool’s to lose, but until you get to that run in, that’s when the trophy is really earned.”

I think Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold will stay at Liverpool, but Salah will move to Saudi

Discussing the contract situations of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Collymore believes managing to keep hold of two of the three star players would be a positive outcome for Liverpool

He said: “I don’t think Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold will tarnish their Liverpool reputations if they have conversations with other clubs in January, they have the right to. I think their agents will be aware that they shouldn’t make it very public, they won’t want either Salah or Van Dijk seen in Riyadh having coffee with a Sheikh! Likewise I’m sure Liverpool fans wouldn’t want to see photos of Trent shopping in Madrid.

“The fans are realistic enough that they know other clubs will be making offers for those three, particularly those Saudi Pro League clubs which will offer ridiculous amounts of money, which could set them and their families up for a dozen lifetimes, and that needs to be taken into consideration. I also think that all three of them have had so much success with Liverpool and they’ve seen the potential of Arne Slot already, which could tempt them to stay.

“I think if Liverpool can keep two out of the three of them, I’d see that as great business. I’ve got a sneaking suspicion it’ll be Virgil and Trent who will stay, and Mo will be 50/50 until Saudi offer money like they did to Cristiano Ronaldo.”

Salah making Liverpool’s all-time XI is more impressive than being the Prem’s greatest ever winger

Collymore added that for him, Salah makes his all-time Liverpool XI, which is a more impressive feat than being named the Premier League’s greatest ever winger.

“I think Salah has to make it into the all-time Liverpool XI,” said Collymore. “He has to. He’s broken so many records, won plenty of trophies and his statistics tell all. With regards to the Premier League all-time greats, he’s up against the likes of Thierry Henry, Robert Pires and Eden Hazard, but he’ll certainly get his induction into the that list.

“Ironically, for Salah, getting into that Liverpool all-time XI will be more important than that of the Premier League when you look at what they’ve won over the years. To get in alongside the likes of Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush and Steven Gerrard is a real honour. If it was me, I’d prefer to get into Liverpool’s all-time XI than be the Premier Leagues greatest ever winger.”