Arguably one of the stories of the football season is the way Liverpool are storming the Premier League, especially under new manager Arne Slot, who appears to have stepped into previous Reds’ manager Jurgen Klopp’s shoes seamlessly, exceeding expectations.
Slot has done this with essentially the same squad of players that Klopp had last season, apart from the addition of winger Federico Chiesa who has been used sparingly, not had much of an impact and will likely be moved on in the summer.
However, there are pressing matters at hand for Liverpool, especially when it comes to contract extensions. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah will all see their current deals expire in the summer.
While at least one is likely to leave – the odds are it’s likely to be Trent – I’m not 100 percent sure about Van Dijk, but I do have a couple of thoughts about Salah – at least what I think will happen.
Salah Simply Invaluable
For me, even at the age of 32, Salah looks arguably back to his best and I think, irreplaceable.
There is just no one out there who could step into his shoes and be a ready-made replacement for him right now – he is probably the best in the world in his position right now.
So, I think on that basis, the club could offer him between a one and two year deal – I definitely believe he wants to play elsewhere, whether that is in the US or Saudi Arabia – he doesn’t have anything left to prove in the Premier League. Though, for the Reds to let him go, I think it would be a major step backwards for the club.
Especially, if reports are to be believed that Luis Diaz is on his way out of the club, amid Barcelona’s alleged interest in the attacker (despite him playing on the opposite side, the Reds would still be light up front). Not to mention rumours that Darwin Nunez is also surplus to requirements.
Offering Salah a new deal, but also bringing in a player who can effectively take his place once he leaves could be the best option for the club. A new signing in the summer, who, I think should be young (18 or 19), and highly rated but not yet ready to be a regular starter could be a good tactic for when Salah does leave. As such, he can be groomed without too much pressure over the next two years, while also learning from the Egyptian as well.
Also, with a reported £200 million warchest, plus available funds from possible player sales will give the club the largest transfer kitty in one window in the club’s history, so penning Salah down, in addition to bringing in a few signings, could well make Liverpool a force to be reckoned with for the next few years. Further to that – I also think Salah would like to win the Champions League (still possible this season) again with the club.