Arne Slot dealt with the latest round of questions concerning Liverpool contract extensions, or lack of them, in his usual relaxed, affable manner at West Ham on Sunday. No distractions from the pursuit of the Premier League title, was the gist of his message, along with no firm updates on the Anfield futures of Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk. It was always thus. Privately, however, Slot could be forgiven for feeling irritated and asking pertinent questions of his own about how Liverpool allowed this unnecessary sideshow to develop.
No distractions? Liverpool maintained their almost flawless title challenge with a 5-0 away win and both Slot and Salah were, inevitably, asked for contract updates after the game. Alexander-Arnold appeared to reference the talk over a possible move to Real Madrid with his goal celebration during it. Slot is correct in his assertion that internally and out on the pitch, where it matters most, the uncertainty has not distracted Liverpool from their primary objective. Given the outstanding form of the three players in question, it could be argued the prospect of being out of contract at the end of this season has had a galvanising effect. But that is not to make a positive out of a saga that has too often detracted from Slot’s outstanding debut season.
Liverpool have a well-established reputation for sound business practice and succession planning. Slot’s appointment is the latest supporting evidence. Yet on Wednesday three world-class players at the forefront of the club’s assault on the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup, who should be worth – what? – more than £200m in transfer fees combined, will be able to sign pre-contract agreements to join a foreign club on a free transfer in the summer. It would be bad practice to lose one. Even if all three commit their long-term futures to Anfield, Liverpool’s strategy would still look needlessly high-risk, although that would be quickly forgotten and forgiven.
Liverpool are, of course, negotiating three lucrative and complex individual contracts, not with one collective bargaining unit. Salah turns 33 at the end of his current £350,000-a-week (minimum) deal. Van Dijk will be 34 in July. Alexander-Arnold is wanted by the European champions. Three reasons for three separate hold-ups right there.
There are other mitigating circumstances for Liverpool’s delay. The club’s entire football hierarchy has been through a period of upheaval over the past two years, from Julian Ward’s surprise decision to step down as sporting director in November 2022 to Michael Edwards’ return in the new role of chief executive of football at Fenway Sports Group in March this year. With the seismic matter of Jürgen Klopp’s departure in between. And Richard Hughes’s arrival as the new sporting director tasked with appointing the right man to succeed a club legend. There was bound to be a knock-on effect for player contracts.
From the trio’s perspective, there may have been a desire to wait and see whom Liverpool appointed as Klopp’s successor, and then to assess his work, before committing to talks on a new deal. That would certainly make sense in the case of Salah, whose relationship with Klopp towards the end of last season was not exactly conducive to extending a phenomenal Liverpool career. That excuse no longer exists. Nor does the Salah claim, volunteered one month ago, that he was “more out than in” at Liverpool due to not receiving a new contract offer. An offer has been made since but, according to the Egypt international, a resolution remains “far away”. The same applies to the captain, Van Dijk.
The elder statesmen of the team have made it clear they wish to stay. For how long and for how much is yet to be revealed, but Liverpool must find a way to bring the impasse to an end. The pair’s influence on and off the pitch and their numbers – not those on a birth certificate – demand it. Salah’s goal and two assists at West Ham took him to 17 and 13 in total respectively in 18 Premier League games. It is the fastest any player has reached 30 goal involvements in a single Premier League season. He has also maintained his remarkable record of scoring at least 20 goals in all eight seasons as a Liverpool player. Van Dijk has been imperious in a defence that has been disrupted frequently by injury yet has kept 13 clean sheets in 27 matches and conceded only 17 league goals.
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Alexander-Arnold’s situation is different, and not merely on account of age profile. The report in Marca on Sunday – another distraction for Slot to contend with – that the defender has told Liverpool he wants to join Real came as news to his club. Talks between the two parties are continuing, as the Liverpool head coach stated after the Boxing Day defeat of Leicester. But Alexander-Arnold knows he has a high-profile, life-changing option available should he decide to part company with his boyhood club after 20 years. Decision-time is approaching, but Slot does not need nor deserve the sideshow.
