Why Liverpool are in no rush to renew
Caution remains key at Anfield despite three star players out of contract next summer
This month’s international break could not have arrived at a worse time for Liverpool.
Arne Slot’s fledgling reign had hit the ground running with his new charges racking up three opening Premier League victories with a trio of clean sheets to match.
Their comprehensive dismantling of a lacklustre Manchester United provided an early endorsement of the Dutchman’s appointment as Jürgen Klopp’s replacement.
But like his predecessor’s final months at the helm, a subplot has already emerged.
Mohamed Salah was the man of the moment at Old Trafford; conjuring two quickfire assists for Luis Díaz in the first half before scoring in his own right after the interval.
When he returned to the turf post-match, the Egypt captain reaffirmed that no talks had taken place over extending his stay beyond next summer. In the absence of those negotiations, he insisted the sole focus was on enjoying what time is left at Anfield.
Salah is, however, not alone in facing a ticking clock on Merseyside. As things stand, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are also set to become free agents next summer, with the Reds captain’s future developing into a hot topic in its own right.
In January, days after Klopp’s shock announcement, Van Dijk stopped in the Anfield mixed zone - as he always does post-match - to reflect on an FA Cup fourth round win over Norwich City. He spoke openly about the uncertainty that lay ahead and whether he would, at soon-to-be 33, be in plans moving forward under the German’s successor.
All those present reported the Netherlands international’s words verbatim and in good faith but their relaying by more sensationalist outlets (to put it politely) added unnecessary fuel to the fire; forcing him to douse any further furore by insisting to the Men In Blazers podcast that his original remarks had been ‘taken fully out of context’.
When the subject was broached again in the same mixed zone following a pre-season friendly with Sevilla last month, Van Dijk initially groaned at the question before confirming that he, like Salah, had still not been approached about possibly extending.
Speculation also abounded, months earlier, about Alexander-Arnold’s immediate future after he fought back tears in front of The Kop for an emotional rendition of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ at the end of Klopp’s farewell appearance against Wolves.
Most likely, the homegrown full-back was, like many inside Anfield, coming to terms with the manager who nurtured his senior career from the outset finally departing. Still, it heightened idle speculation that a move to Real Madrid could be in the offing.
Renewing Alexander-Arnold should be, on the face of it, a no-brainer. Whatever his gripes in the season’s opening weeks, the 25-year-old remains an automatic starter under Slot and, equally vital, the on-field embodiment of the club’s local nucleus.
Salah’s value, similarly, outweighs any potential apprehensions. Beyond a prolific goalscoring return, he possesses a remarkable fitness record at 32 of missing just 16 games for the club in 2017 - and three of those were after contracting COVID-19.
The case for Van Dijk may be less clear-cut on account of his lengthy injury but from a leadership perspective, there are clear merits behind offering a short-term extension.
So why do owners Fenway Sports Group remain alarmingly slow on the uptake?
Beyond the inevitable wait-and-see approach that is customary as Slot adjusts to his opening months in the hot seat, the Americans are also smarting from recent history.
In 2021, John Henry and co. found themselves backed into a corner over the renewal of Jordan Henderson at a time when a changing of the guard was already underway in the engine room with the departure of former midfield cohort Georginio Wijnaldum.
Wijnaldum had been one of Liverpool’s most consistent performers across the previous five seasons but walked away after sensing that the club ‘didn’t want to keep’ him. Soon after he had secured a move to Paris Saint-Germain, attention began to shift to other soon-to-be free agents and zeroed in on Henderson’s long-term future.
Outcry from sections of the fan base, and the media it must be said, that the man who had helped end a 30-year wait to be crowned English champions would be the next allowed to walk away in 12 months’ time helped turn up the heat on FSG.
Coming months after Henry’s public climbdown on the club’s involvement in the controversial European Super League breakaway plot, the Americans could ill afford more negative publicity at a time when they were attempting to rebuild relationships.
Misty-eyed sentiment won that battle of wills as Liverpool’s owners ultimately bowed to pressure and handed Henderson a new four-year contract. The pay-off appeared near-instantaneous as Klopp’s side stood on the cusp of an unprecedented quadruple.
But signs of the England international’s inevitable downturn were already peeking through even then and brought to bear during the following campaign as the club ultimately failed to qualify for the Champions League for a first time since 2015/16.
Fortuitously, the Saudi Pro League offered Liverpool an easy escape route with a £12M transfer to Al-Ettifaq that recouped the bulk of his original summer 2011 outlay.
Henderson lasted just six months in the Kingdom before jumping ship to Ajax, having lost huge face after seeking to justify the original move despite his LGBTQ+ advocacy.
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FSG clearly do not see the Saudi route as a viable option for Salah, having rejected a bid worth up to £150M from Al-Ittihad last summer, while the player’s representative Ramy Abbas has consistently shot down speculation over his future as early as 2018.
Renewing the talismanic forward, in addition to Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold, is likely to be a case of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’, but the Liverpool hierarchy will not be rushed into any major decisions due to their previous uncomfortable experience.
As with Slot’s fledgling tenure, caution currently remains key at Anfield.