🎤 Neil Mellor Exclusive Interview With OLBG

Interview January 2026

So I've got to ask, how many times do you think you've watched that Arsenal goal back?

Only twice today! No, it's nice to have had a moment but like I say, only on that day when people post it is when I'll see it again, but it's quite nice to see it.

So you played a part in Liverpool's Champions League success in 2005. You scored against Olympiakos, you knocked the ball down to Gerrard for that crucial goal. I read recently that you didn't actually receive a medal due to a mix up. Did that ever get resolved in the end?

So it was different times back then, 2005, and it was a case of just the lads who were involved, so obviously the starters and the subs got the medals. I got on the podium, Stevie lifted up the trophy, the confetti going everywhere, it was a brilliant moment to be part of.

And as we walked off the podium, I remember going to the little stand where the medals were and we had a lad called Pellegrino, I don't know if you remember him, but he'd been cup tied, was a centre half, he'd managed a few teams, Argentinian boy. He picked these medals up and I walked past him and jumped one of those. I was thinking I'll have a bit of that, no problem, thinking it was the winner's medal.

And it turns out it was the runners up medal. So I pocketed a little AC Milan medal rather than a winner's medal. It was different back then. It was a case of the players involved only got medals, which I understood. I know since then times have changed, but yeah, I've still got the AC Milan medal now. I'm waiting for a phone call off Maldini or Shevchenko to get it back. They did win it a couple of years later, I'm sure they don't want it!

And so you were incredibly unfortunate with injuries during your career. What do you think the honest assessment is about what injuries cost you?

I think it's unfortunate. For whatever reason, I'd love to have played more games, loved to have scored more goals. And for any player in their career, they just don't want injuries. Certain players have more injuries than others. I was unfortunate in that aspect.

I was told after I had seven knee surgeries in the end, after one of my early knee surgeries, that I would never play at the top level again. He said, listen, you just cannot play physically at the top level. So that was hard to take.

And for a lot of players, their ability isn't good enough to be at that level. I knew I was. I had the trust and belief of other players like Steven Gerrard and people like that in the squad. So my ability could cope, but my body couldn't. That was the cards I was dealt and I just had to deal with that. It was unfortunate.

Speaking of players who regularly get injuries, Conor Bradley is now out for the season after that knee injury against Arsenal. He's had a few injuries in his time. How much of a blow is that to the side in general? How much of a blow do you think it is to Conor personally?

Yeah, both. Gutted for him. I think he's an outstanding player. I think he's really taken on that role of being the main man at right back with Trent leaving. I think his performance against Real Madrid this season was as good as a performance that I've seen and you thought, right, okay, here we go, he's the main man in that position now.

But he has had setbacks before, the one against Arsenal. Again, unfortunate. There's no one to blame for that. He's going to have to cope with that, do the right things, no shortcuts, and sit on the touchline thinking I could be playing in these games. So that's tough for him.

But yeah, he's an outstanding player and Liverpool have a decision to make because he has had injuries before. Do they keep the faith with him, knowing that he will be back and hopefully get back to those levels again, or give Frimpong a go at right back or even bring somebody else in?

But for Conor, I'm gutted for him because I really like him as a player. And the performance against Real Madrid shows you he can do it against the best because Vinícius Júnior did not have a kick that night against him.

So you've just alluded to Frimpong there and obviously he was sort of brought in to replace Trent. Do you think he can offer the same sort of thing going forward?

I think, well, Frimpong's a completely different player to Trent. Trent was an unbelievable player. Trent was like a Kevin De Bruyne in the right back position. He reinvented that position and was different to anybody else in the world.

Frimpong's different because he has that real pace, that real desire to get forward high and wide. Almost like an old fashioned winger, but has the recovery as well to get back defensively. I think it's more natural for him to go forward than defensively.

So two different players. I think Liverpool are aware they have to cover when he gets forward, a little bit like with Trent. But now Conor's out injured, Trent's left the football club. It's there for Frimpong to really establish himself as the right back for Liverpool.

Do you think losing Trent Alexander-Arnold in the summer hurt Liverpool more than people realise?

I think people knew Liverpool were losing a top class player. He won everything for the football club. He was absolutely brilliant, we have to say that. And yeah, it was a big blow to see him leave. Didn't want him to leave, it was his decision.

I think football players are businessmen. I don't think the fans, which a lot of fans would like to think they are, they're not. The players are businessmen, they're doing what's best for themselves. And Trent was an example of that.

Liverpool miss him because of not just his ability, his creative ability, his understanding with Konate, his understanding with Salah, his understanding with the attacking players. Yeah, he was a brilliant player for Liverpool. Liverpool will move on, but yeah, no doubt, they miss his ability.

So you've just compared Trent to Kevin De Bruyne, and obviously to replace Trent it might not necessarily have been Frimpong who was going to do that. There's also Florian Wirtz who might bring that creativity. How have you rated Wirtz's output in the games that he has played?

I've watched every game and yes, attacking players will be judged on numbers, but he's one of those players that I love watching. And there's not many players like that. I think back to Suarez, Salah, Bobby Firmino, he's in that mould. He's a player who is just an absolute joy to watch.

He took a big, brave decision to come to England and Liverpool. He could have easily stayed in Germany with Bayern Munich. He's a German international, he's loved over there. He could have even gone to Real Madrid. He decided to come to England, which was brave, and play for Liverpool.

And okay, he was adjusting, and people were saying well he's not scoring, he's not assisting, but I was watching him, his movement, he's a clever player, he finds pockets of space which is unique and different, always wants the ball, he'll run his absolute socks off all day long. And now we're starting to see the goals and the assists start to come, which a lot of people expected.

I think Florian Wirtz will become one of the best players in the Premier League in a Liverpool shirt. Might not be this season, but certainly in the time he's at Liverpool Football Club, he will show why he's one of the best young talents in world football at the moment.

The player who doesn't really seem to have taken much time at all to fit into the red shirt is Hugo Ekitike. So what have you made of him so far and how high do you think his ceiling is?

Yeah, brilliant. He's another one who came after a great season at Frankfurt, and it was a case of there weren't many strikers on the market this summer, and a few clubs were after him. I thought I don't know how good he is, but since he arrived at Liverpool, he's been absolutely outstanding.

Scoring early on helps. He scored in the Community Shield against Palace, scored against Bournemouth as well on his Premier League debut, and that helps a striker. Settling, the fans have taken to him very quickly.

He's a big lad, a real presence. I think he's got the potential to become one of the best strikers in European football. A bit like when your Salah arrived, your Mane arrived where they were top players, but then you arrive at Liverpool and that gives them the platform to become one of the best in Europe. And I think Ekitike is like that. He can score a variety of different goals and he is a top centre forward. So yeah, he's looking like the main man at the moment and long may that continue.

And how do you see both him and Alexander Isak fitting together for Arne Slot when they're both available?

If I'm honest, when they both signed I thought Isak would be the main man. At the moment it's Ekitike, obviously Isak's out injured. I think at times we'll see them both play together and we have done. I think of Frankfurt away when Liverpool played two up top and they scored five goals. I thought they both played very well together. West Ham as well when they came on.

So at times we will see them both play together. But it could be certain games where only one of them does play and it's a case of who is the most in form at that time and at the moment it's Ekitike.

Isak's actually been brought in for the longer term. He's a finisher. He knows how to find the back of the net. But now, yeah, I think Liverpool will always need two top class strikers and in those two they certainly have it when both are fit.

So you just allude to Isak being injured, obviously Bradley is currently injured and Joe Gomez is injured. Man City are reportedly circling Marc Guéhi. Should Liverpool be panicking about getting a centre back through the door this month or do you think they can afford to wait until summer?

It was done, wasn't it, in the window, he was coming and Liverpool needed that. Liverpool have been fortunate this season because Konate and Van Dijk have played every Premier League game and every Champions League game. Now if they go on to do that all season Liverpool can cope with not having to bring in another centre half.

My concern is, and I think maybe a lot of fans' concern, if one of those players gets injured, Van Dijk or Konate, it leaves Liverpool short defensively. Gomez is not going to play this season. He's fit at the moment. How fit can he be to have a sustained run in the team? I'm not sure.

So Liverpool are light defensively and with the window open and with that Conor Bradley injury as well, I would hope Liverpool could add and strengthen with a defensive player to help them succeed this season, and succeed could be top four and winning a trophy. FA Cup going well, the Champions League.

If one of those players got injured at the back, Konate or Van Dijk, I really would be concerned that Liverpool would struggle to succeed this season. It would make it a lot harder for them. If they stay fit, yeah, I still believe they can, but at the moment Liverpool look like they need an addition defensively.

So another worry in defence. Ibrahima Konate still hasn't signed a new deal. Though Real Madrid's interest is reportedly cool due to his form, he could still leave on a free. Should Liverpool be more worried about tying him down or do you think they'd be happy to let him leave?

Again, these players are businessmen, they'll do what's best for them. I like Konate and I really like that partnership alongside Virgil van Dijk. I think the pair of them are as good as what you'll see in Europe. I know we'll talk about Gabriel and Saliba at Arsenal but I think these two are absolutely outstanding together.

We saw it last season with Trent, Virgil van Dijk and Salah when the contract was out and you're thinking how does that affect the performances? Now people are saying about Konate's performances. And I honestly believe that if you've got no one pushing you, your levels aren't going to be pushed. And no one's pushing Konate. So he knows he's going to be playing every game. I think he needs somebody to push him.

I want him to sign a new contract. Liverpool will be clear with this is what's on the table. But no doubt about it, on a free transfer, he will have a lot of admirers from around the world. And whether it's Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, wherever it may be, he will have a lot of offers.

I hope he stays and I believe it can be done. He's at a football club that can compete for the biggest trophies, but it's a decision he'll have to make.

And I think the elephant in the room here is that Liverpool obviously won the title last season. Do you have any explanation to this season's collapse or is it just a complete mystery to you as well?

Yeah, I mean at the start of season when Liverpool won seven games in a row in all competitions, everyone said now Liverpool are going to win the league again and maybe the Champions League and you're thinking there's a long way to go.

I think what I would say is Liverpool lost six key players in the summer and those key players were really important. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Diaz, the tragedy of Diogo Jota, they're three starters. And then you look at three squad players who were key last year, Quansah, Elliott, Nunez. Liverpool lost six players and brought in a number of players, five players, but didn't add.

So it's a case of players going out, players coming in, whereas you're looking at your competitors like Arsenal, who did they lose? They lost Partey, was he a real key player? They brought in four or five players who really added to that team. So if you're looking at rivals and how they did business, Liverpool just sort of replaced what they got rid of and didn't add.

So I think we always knew it was going to be a challenge to integrate the new players. Maybe we expected not quite the gap that we do see at the moment. There has been inconsistencies this season.

But I think for Liverpool to finish in the top four and to compete for a trophy would be acceptable with the amount of change this season.

But it will be judged in two years, three years to see how successful this transfer window was with bringing these players in. A lot of talent has been brought in this window by Liverpool. Young, exciting talent. And to say it's not been a success yet is a bit harsh. I think in 18 months, two years, you can start to say okay, I can see now Liverpool are back challenging where they want to be, having made those changes.

And in terms of attacking signings, what do you think the next priority should be for Liverpool?

Well, you've got Ekitike and Isak, you've got Gakpo out there, you've got Rio Ngumoha who's a young, exciting talent. Salah's still at the football club. Salah's still one of the best players in Europe, in the Premier League. His form hasn't been what it was last season, but he's still one of the top players.

Gakpo's game time has been limited.

Liverpool still have strong options in attack when everybody's fully fit. And so I'm not concerned with that at the moment. Wirtz in behind, Wirtz can play as we saw with Szoboszlai, sort of a false nine in big games. I think we might see that in big European away games this season.

So in attack, I'm not too concerned. Obviously Isak's out injured, which we need him back as soon as possible. I just think the priority of this transfer window would be to bring in a defensive player, which I hope can happen.

So you've just alluded to Salah still being at the football club there. Obviously he gave that interview which ruffled a few feathers. Do you think the Salah and Slot relationship is fixable? Do you think him going to AFCON has actually been a good thing to give a bit of space between the two of them?

I don't think anybody liked to see what happened with the Mo Salah situation. Salah will be regarded as one of Liverpool's great players, there's no doubt about that, he's been absolutely brilliant. He will leave the football club one day, when that is I don't know. But whilst he's at the club, he is one of the most important players and so what happened was dealt with by the manager, by the squad.

I think Curtis Jones did an interview saying that Salah spoke to the players about apologising about his behaviour. So he's still trusted and still admired by the players.

I think the Brighton game was good because it was the last game before AFCON. He was on the bench. He came on early in that game. He played brilliant. Probably should have scored. I think he got an assist. I can't remember now, but he played really well. And he sort of did a lap of honour and sort of saying goodbye. And everyone was saying well is he leaving, what's going on there? Maybe that was his way of sort of saying I'm still with you because he's got a real strong connection with the supporters.

But that told me that whatever happened with the players, the manager, it had been resolved. And he didn't play against Milan, he did play against Brighton, he's now away with AFCON doing really well, and I want to see him succeed there.

But Salah has still got a lot left in him at Liverpool and for Liverpool to achieve this season Mo Salah can be integral to that. He can be the match winner to potentially win another trophy this season. So when he comes back I expect him to get back involved and yeah, I don't see any kind of disagreement, that's all been resolved.

Obviously Salah and Egypt are at AFCON at the minute and he faces his old teammate Sadio Mane in the semi final against Senegal. Do you think that clash will have a bit of needle to it given that Senegal has beaten them the last two times?

Do you know what, it will remind Liverpool fans of that front three we had, Mane, Firmino and Salah. One of the best in world football. It was brilliant to watch at that time. Two great players for Liverpool.

Mané's moved on since and as an ex Liverpool player you always sort of look on and hope he does well. Salah's a current Liverpool player. I will be cheering Egypt on to win this AFCON because of Mo Salah. I will want him to succeed. It will be a good game to watch. I will watch it, but hoping that Salah can get the better of Mane.

Because I think it was a couple of AFCONs ago that Senegal beat Egypt in the final on penalties. So for Salah, who is regarded as one of the best players in the world, I'd love him to win a major trophy for his country because he missed out in the final a few years ago. So they're not favourites, I understand that, but it'd be great for Salah if he can lift that trophy.

And so we've also got Rio Ngumoha, who's breaking his way into the side, Liverpool's youngest ever goalscorer. What do you see in him? What do you think his future looks like?

Seventeen! The boy's 17 and you have to remember that at 17 some lads are nowhere near playing first team football and there's been a lot of excitement around him because of his arrival from Chelsea and the potential he has. He has enormous potential but he's still learning, he's still developing and he's still very, very young. So expectation can be unfairly put on a young player.

He's been in and around the first team, which is great for his development, training with some of the players like Van Dijk, Szoboszlai, Salah. This is what's expected to become a Premier League champion and to be one of the best teams in the world. So he's seeing those sort of standards rather than going out on loan and it being good for him for game time, but not seeing what's expected in terms of development if you want to succeed at one of the biggest clubs in the world.

So he's learning every day without playing the game time he maybe wants. He's on the bench every game. His game time is coming here and there, he's played in a couple of the cup competitions. Again, he played in the FA Cup against Barnsley. He might play in the next round as well.

He has enormous potential and I don't know how he fulfils that or if he can fulfil that. But what I do know is he's around players who can really help nurture that young talent. But at 17, I think it's important to remember that he is still learning and still developing.

And do you find there's more pressure on academy kids now compared to during your time?

Yeah, I think social media hypes players up. The next Gerrard, the next Suarez, the next Salah. I always feel as though that's unfair on young players because they are their own player and they'll have their own style. So I always think that's an unfair pressure and expectation.

It's a great environment for these young players at the moment. We never had the time that these young players had in terms of they can play Under 21s football and our decision was made a lot sooner when we were young players. If you're not quite ready at 19 then you're out into other clubs. Whereas nowadays they're at the football club longer.

It's harder for them as well in the sense that every player from around the world wants to play in England in the Premier League because of the money. Let's be honest. It's the richest league in the world and they all want to come here. And so that makes it harder for the homegrown players to play.

In my time, and it was funny, I looked at a programme the other day and I played in a reserve game for Liverpool against Man United. They had Gary Neville playing, Roy Carroll in goal, they had Diego Forlán playing, they had Fletcher playing, they had all these senior players. That helped younger players like myself, the reserve team football. It helped us because I was playing with senior players. I was with Gary McAllister, Jamie Redknapp, Paddy Berger, Markus Babbel. And that was game time to maintain a level of fitness to be ready with the first team. And we're playing against senior players like Gary Neville and people like that.

I think they're missing out on that this generation. And for whatever reason, they've changed it to Under 21 football. It is not as competitive as what reserve team football was. And so that is a bit of an issue for them because they're not ready to go straight into first team from Under 21s because they're not playing against anyone at that level. And that's why many go out and experience loan moves to try and get them ready for first team football.

But yeah, what I would say is the academy is a great place at Liverpool. We've developed a lot of players. I think Alex Inglethorpe has done a brilliant job, the staff around there. There is a pathway for young players at a top football club like Liverpool, and we've seen that. And I think that encourages lads lower down the pyramid. But I loved playing in them reserve games because I'm playing against senior lads and this generation don't have that.

Looking back, do you think Liverpool handled your pathway correctly?

It's hard to say. I had injuries which made it easier for managers to say okay, well, can't play you. I never wanted to go on loan. I remember scoring two goals in a pre season game for Liverpool at Aberdeen back in 2003. Harry Kewell's first game for Liverpool. I scored a couple of goals and I remember thinking I'm part of this. I might not start, but I'm in this squad. Because I'd scored a load of goals in the reserves and now I was capable of doing it with the first team.

I remember Gerard Houllier walking off the pitch at Aberdeen, it's freezing in July, whatever it was, and he goes, I want you to go out on loan. And I'm thinking I've just got two goals for you! I want to be on the bench. And he said, no, no, no, I want you to go on loan to West Ham or Sunderland. And that felt like a rejection to me. It felt like I wasn't ready to go out on loan. I didn't want to go out on loan.

But for the manager, and that's what happens, managers make that decision for the best interest for them, for the club, for me, for my development. Maybe he thought that was best for me. So I chose to go to West Ham. It didn't quite work out. I did grow up a lot, but I didn't want to go. And who knows? I'd love to have stayed at Liverpool and been a part of that season, but it wasn't to be.

Big news from yesterday, Xabi Alonso sacked by Real Madrid. Given the season that Arne Slot has had, do you think he's almost looking over his shoulder a little bit with that news?

No, surely not. Xabi Alonso was a brilliant player, have to say. He was a teammate of mine. He was a brilliant player, but also a brilliant lad. And that's why he was so likeable. He really integrated into what Liverpool was about, the football club. And wherever he's gone since, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich as a player, you can see he's done the same. And he's been a top player, been loved by the fans and the people of the city of those football clubs.

Now as a manager, he had great success at Leverkusen. He was linked to Liverpool before he went to Real Madrid. I mean, Real Madrid is Real Madrid, isn't it? And they're not happy with being four points off the top. They've just been beaten in the cup by Barcelona. It was a cracking game, by the way, and it could have gone either way. I think he's got a big future as a manager, and it's not worked out for him at Real Madrid. He will come back without a doubt.

But honestly, Arne Slot won the league in his first season, which was beyond expectations. And all of a sudden, we've had a transitional season with the changes we mentioned already, a lot of change at the football club. I think it'd be very unfair to be piling pressure on him to lose his job at this stage. Yes, there'll always be pressure because he's Liverpool manager and Liverpool have to succeed. And ultimately top four is seen as probably okay this season and hopefully a trophy, whether it's FA Cup, Champions League. But no, he's not under pressure with that news from Xabi Alonso losing his job.

So obviously you just alluded there to top four. Do you think if he does miss out on Champions League qualification that will be the final nail in his coffin this season?

I think there's a lot of football between now and then and there's a lot left to play for. I think if Liverpool weren't to get in the Champions League next season it would be a massive disappointment, of course it would be. I mean you look at the Premier League now and you're thinking fifth place could be enough to get Champions League football next season, so if Liverpool were to miss out on that, that would be a really disappointing season. At this moment I can't see Liverpool missing out.

I think Liverpool will be more than good enough to finish in the top four or five places for Champions League next year. It's disappointing not to have competed for the title and at this stage we're thinking it looks a long way off.

There's a lot of football left to play. Liverpool are eleven games unbeaten, not playing great but having a bit of momentum. And all of a sudden, good result at Arsenal, good performance, can get going for a little bit of a run just to try and close that gap and give a bit more confidence to try and end the season strongly. So it's unthinkable that Liverpool will miss out on the Champions League at this moment in time. When that happens, that's when it's a different conversation.

I've seen it said before, mostly on social media, that Arne Slot's biggest weakness is the fact that he isn't Jurgen Klopp. What's the biggest difference between Slot and Klopp that fans don't really see?

Two different managers, two different styles of course. I have to say I don't like it when I've heard people say Arne Slot won it with Jurgen's team. I completely disagree with that. Arne Slot inherited an incredible squad of players without a doubt. He inherited a brilliant group of players that Jurgen Klopp left. But he still had to manage those players. He still had to manage them and guide them and tactically set them up to win the Premier League.

He put Gravenberch in a six. Jurgen Klopp never did that. He put Diaz down the middle as a nine. Jurgen didn't do that. He had to manage the Trent, Virgil van Dijk and Salah contract situation and prove to them that he was good enough as a coach and a manager for them to stay at Liverpool. Because if he wasn't, they don't stay. And it unsettles Liverpool's season. So Liverpool won the league with all that going on in the background.

And having had one of Liverpool's great managers of all time, certainly in modern times, Jurgen Klopp will be loved by Liverpool fans. What he delivered was incredible. He was a style of manager that everyone wanted to get a hug off. The players were the lucky ones to get a hug off. He delivered every trophy with unbelievable style of football. I mentioned about Mane, Salah and Bobby Firmino. That was just a joy to watch. Henderson and Milner, real competitive players in midfield as well. So that era was brilliant.

Liverpool always had to move on and to move on so quickly and win something so quickly with Slot was brilliant. But can that happen every season? No, I don't think it can. But Arne is a little bit more reserved, but he had to manage last season to a great success, I have to say.

Given that we do have two of Xabi Alonso’s former players in Frimpong and Wirtz, do you think he could potentially be a good fit for Liverpool if things don't necessarily work out with Arne Slot?

I think Xabi Alonso will always be a top manager, wanted by the top clubs, and Liverpool are one of those. Whilst Arne is in place at the moment and winning big trophies, which he has done in the Premier League, there's no need to be looking elsewhere.

But I think Xabi Alonso will always be able to handle top players and Wirtz, for me, will become one of the best players in the world. He's had experience of that, he's brought the best out of him already. So I think in years to come, the biggest clubs in the world will always want him.

It's not worked out at Real Madrid. Do you know what? The way that Real Madrid go, he might go back there in a few years anyway, because that's how it sometimes works. I don't think he's tarnished his record as a manager, and he'll be back stronger.

Yeah, I mean, Wirtz and Frimpong will always say Xabi Alonso played a big part in their careers. They're at Liverpool now and enjoying the football, so they'll always have that good relationship.