“I’m most worried about Trent,” one Liverpool supporter tells FourFourTwo as the clock ticks on three of the Reds’ greatest-ever players being able to leave the club for free.
The contracts of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah all expire at the end of the season, with the trio able to sign a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs in less than 50 days.
How Liverpool have got themselves into this situation is a series of events over recent years. Possibly the biggest reason is that they are now on their fourth sporting director in four years, but also that one of the three before Richard Hughes stepped into the role this summer was a temporary appointment at the most crucial time for these key contract renewals.
Liverpool running out of time on Trent, Salah and Van Dijk
Jorg Schmadtke described his role as “basically a service provider” and that Jurgen Klopp was “the decision-maker.” The German spent six months in the role, with the club officially having no sporting director for the first six months of 2024 - the time when the fabled trio were entering the final 18 months of their contracts.
Matters weren’t helped by owners FSG effectively putting the club up for sale in November 2022, with the new regime that has now been appointed in the post-Klopp era inheriting quite the job off the pitch.
The new hierarchy comprises of Hughes as sporting director, plus three men who have returned to the club; Michael Edwards as CEO of Football for FSG, Julian Ward as FSG's technical director, plus David Woodfine as assistant sporting director. There were also informal talks to bring back former director of research, Ian Graham.
With the structure off the pitch now established, and Arne Slot plus his coaching staff appointed, attentions turn to the playing personnel.
The fans’ concerns
Fans are rightly worried. “How can you let not just three of our best players leave, but three all-time greats, in one summer,” one season ticket holder animatedly told FFT outside Anfield before the match against Aston Villa, which the Reds won 2-0 to move five points clear at the top of the Premier League during the international break.
Whisper it quietly, but Manchester City play Tottenham after the break while Liverpool travel to bottom club Southampton. Should City drop points there, the Merseysiders would have the opportunity to go 10 points clear of Guardiola’s side when they meet at Anfield a week later.
Back to the contract situations. Supporter Brian James adds: “It would be farcical to allow any of them to go, never mind all three, and then let alone all of them for nothing! The owners need to sort it [out] or any goodwill towards them will be completely lost.”
The consensus among supporters is that Van Dijk will stay; most believe the captain will sign a new contract relatively soon, and all signs so far do point to as much.
The last update from the Dutchman was that “discussions are ongoing, but I don’t know, we will see what happens in the future. My full focus is on Liverpool, wanting to win games that are ahead of me and nothing else.”
Van Dijk will be 34 next summer, so a new contract will be a break from FSG’s previous approach towards players in their thirties. But he, like Salah, is showing this season why a change in policy is required for exceptional circumstances (or in this case, exceptional footballers).
Slot recently admitted that he has been surprised by Van Dijk’s leadership qualities. “Before I worked with Virgil, I always said I no longer believe so much in the concept of a leader,” said the Reds’ head coach. “Virgil, I think, is someone who constantly makes sure the boys are there and is the leader in coaching. He also gives a good example of how to stand on a training field and what you have to do in the gym. And also, for the other players, by constantly standing up for himself.”
Such examples and leadership are invaluable, and they’re also on display in slightly different ways with Salah, whose weekly setting of new records has only strengthened his hand in contract negotiations.
Salah has been quite public about his contract situation, stunning everyone back in September by saying: “Nobody in the club talked to me yet about contracts, so I’ve said ‘OK, I’ll play my last season and in the end we’ll see’.”
Cryptic social media messages have followed from both Salah and his agent, as the clock ticks for Liverpool on a player who most believe wants to stay at Anfield in order to climb the record books for the club and the Premier League.
Quite clearly, Salah is worth making an exception for. How much would it cost to replace Salah’s output? Who out there is remotely available to replace him? The player himself looks refreshed and re-energised under Slot. There’s a belief that perhaps Salah would not be so forthcoming of signing a new contract had Klopp still been in charge.
Against Aston Villa, the Egyptian once again showed his worth, clocking up his 10th goal and 10th assist of the season in just his 17th appearance (in all competitions). In doing so, he became the quickest Liverpool player to achieve that milestone in the past 40 years, beating Luis Suarez (who did so in 23 games). He’s the fastest to the 10 goals and 10 assists in Europe’s top five leagues this season.
His agent, Ramy Abbas, wrote simply on X: “Best player in the world” - and it would be difficult to argue otherwise at present.
Will Salah sign a new deal at Liverpool? Most fans we spoke to think that eventually a compromise will be found. “I reckon it’s 70% likely he stays,” said one.
And then you have Trent.
For Liverpool to lose their local, homegrown hero, at age 26 in his absolute prime years, on a free transfer, would be one of the biggest failings in the club’s history. A PR nightmare for the owners.
“You know what, if Trent wanted to go and we sold him for £120 million and signed a couple of top class players, I could live with it,” one fan says. Most see it similarly; they wouldn’t begrudge Trent wanting to go and experience a new challenge, but for Liverpool to receive nothing in return would be negligent.
“We should be persuading him to sign a new contract with an agreement to let him leave for a fee next summer,” says one ambitious supporter. If only contract negotiations were so simple.
Kop season ticket holder Lee Reynolds says he doesn’t see any reason why anyone would want to leave: “If Slot came in and we had a drop off then I understand Trent’s head being turned by Real Madrid,” he says. “I know it’s early days but think of the huge regret for Trent if he decides to leave, then Liverpool win major trophies without him.
“The only doubt is Trent because of his ambition. If you read this Trent, the grass isn’t always greener. Stay and help your club win more trophies.”
So the fans think Van Dijk will stay, Salah will likely stay, but as for Trent there’s a whole lot of doubt.
