Liverpool may lose three of their finest gamers — Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold — for nothing in lower than 100 days. That’s the stark actuality of the contract chess recreation being performed out proper now at Anfield, as a result of the sands of time actually are working all the way down to the ultimate grains.
Salah (32 years outdated), Van Dijk (33) and Alexander-Arnold (25) are all out of contract on the finish of this season and, as a consequence, will every be capable to negotiate with a non-English membership from Jan. 1, 2025, over a free agent switch on the finish of this season. Every member of the trio has a unique worth to the crew, and the three are at totally different phases of their careers, however due to the way in which Liverpool have rolled the cube, they’ve now turn into inextricably linked to one another to the extent that whoever’s future is settled first can have a direct influence on what occurs with the others.
Liverpool’s house owners, Fenway Sports activities Group (FSG), and their soccer operations crew, led by soccer CEO Michael Edwards, know precisely what’s at stake within the weeks forward. The silence from throughout the Liverpool boardroom about every particular person contract state of affairs shouldn’t be uncommon and is sensible from a enterprise perspective, nevertheless it has created uncertainty and concern amongst supporters — concern on the potential lack of as much as three star gamers but in addition on the membership’s failure to resolve the state of affairs months earlier. Past that, it has left a vacuum that has been crammed by statements from every participant solely including to the sense of a membership playing with excessive stakes.
Van Dijk was the primary to go public on his state of affairs in August, saying there had been “no change” within the lack of a contract provide from the membership. Salah then adopted the Netherlands defender in September when, after scoring in a 3-0 win at Manchester United, he additionally revealed that Liverpool had but to open talks over a brand new deal.
“No one on the membership has spoken to me but a couple of new contract, so I simply play this final season after which see on the finish of the season,” Salah stated. “It is less than me, however no person has talked to me a couple of contract with the membership. We’ll see.”
With Van Dijk and Salah, Liverpool’s delay in negotiating new contracts is probably comprehensible. With each gamers of their 30s and among the many membership’s highest earners, a calculation have to be made by the membership over their worth within the years forward.
How lengthy Van Dijk and Salah will be capable to carry out as world-class gamers — and whether or not the membership can confidently provide a one-, two- and even three-year contract with out the chance of being caught in the direction of the top of that deal — is the dilemma FSG face. In recent times, with star gamers reminiscent of Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino and Jordan Henderson, FSG erred on the aspect of warning and moved every of them out earlier than a decline set in. The information of Mané, Firmino and Henderson since leaving Liverpool have proved that the membership have been proper in every case to dump them.
Salah and Van Dijk are at a unique stage to Mané, Firmino and Henderson, nonetheless, when it comes to their standing as membership legends and in that they are nonetheless performing on the highest stage. But as a result of they’ve allowed these gamers’ contracts to run into their ultimate 12 months, Liverpool have misplaced management, and the one option to regain it now could be by providing contracts, when it comes to size and finance, that the membership would ordinarily not wish to hand out. The state of affairs with Alexander-Arnold is totally different and is the one which has the best potential to turn into an issue for each participant and membership. At 25 — he turns 26 on Oct. 7 — Alexander-Arnold is coming into his prime years, that means there could be no danger on Liverpool’s half when it comes to sanctioning a profitable long-term contract for a participant who was developed by the membership and who grew up as a Liverpool supporter. However the crew are additionally in a catch-22 state of affairs with Alexander-Arnold. In the event that they do his deal first, Van Dijk and Salah would, not unreasonably, anticipate an analogous pay deal. If the membership settle Salah or Van Dijk first, it might give Alexander-Arnold’s advisers a place to begin for his or her deal. But long-standing hypothesis linking the England worldwide with Actual Madrid refuses to go away, and Alexander-Arnold’s reluctance to dismiss the prospect of a transfer is a helpful negotiation tactic. Nonetheless, it is unlikely to play properly with supporters who rapidly misplaced affection for earlier homegrown stars — specifically Steve McManaman and Michael Owen — when it turned clear each have been ready to run down contracts to maneuver to Actual. McManaman moved to Actual as a free agent in 1999, and Owen sealed an £8 million transfer to the Santiago Bernabéu 5 years later when Liverpool opted to keep away from the chance of him leaving for nothing 12 months later. Arne Slot’s feedback this week about Alexander-Arnold being a “good defender” however one who must “do extra about his focus fee” may but show to be a touch that the brand new supervisor is ready to contemplate a future and not using a participant who has earned as a lot criticism for his defending as reward for his attacking qualities. If that’s the case, Liverpool have gone previous the purpose of no return with Alexander-Arnold when it comes to securing a big switch payment for him. When requested about his state of affairs following Saturday’s 3-0 win over Bournemouth, it appeared clear that Alexander-Arnold will now both signal a brand new deal or go away as a free agent. “I wish to be a Liverpool participant this season is what I’ll say,” Alexander-Arnold stated when requested about his future. “I’ve been on the membership 20 years now; I’ve signed 4 or 5 contract extensions; none of these have been performed out in public, and this one will not be both. “A very powerful factor is all the time trophies, if I’m sincere. I wish to win trophies, I’m a participant who is extremely motivated by trophies and profitable issues and being elite. So that’s in all probability the principle issue [in deciding my future] of something.” The large drawback for Liverpool with Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold is that point is not on their aspect and so they may genuinely see all three stroll by way of the exit door as free brokers subsequent summer season. The longer it drags on, the extra of a distraction it can turn into for all concerned, however the gamers can solely win on this state of affairs. They both get huge new contracts at Liverpool or money in on free company standing subsequent 12 months. The upside of the subsequent few months for Liverpool is way more tough to envisage.
