For a side 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League and only four wins from the title, there is a large measure of negativity around Liverpool’s run-in.
By Jack Lusby, ThisIsAnfield.com
Much of that stems from recent results: exiting the Champions League to Paris Saint-Germain, losing the Carabao Cup final to Newcastle and, most recently, being comprehensively beaten by Fulham in the Premier League.
But it is also a storm that has been brewing for the whole campaign, despite an outstanding debut season for Jürgen Klopp’s successor, Arne Slot.
After a summer that saw only Federico Chiesa arrive – to play a bit-part role, no less – the growing uncertainty around the futures of three of Liverpool’s most important players has fed into the feeling of unease.
That has spiralled in the past fortnight as – on the back of those defeats to PSG and Newcastle, meaning the trophies on offer reduced from a realistic three to one – news broke of Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s imminent move to Real Madrid.
A boyhood Red opting to leave on a free transfer at the end of a almost certain title-winning campaign has not gone down well with supporters, and it has only led to further questions over the long-term planning of those off the field.
And with both Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah in the same position as Alexander-Arnold, with only three months remaining on their contracts, fears that this could be one and done for Liverpool’s new regime are justified.
To lose Alexander-Arnold would be a huge blow, but to also see Van Dijk and Salah leave would be catastrophic; three of the most important players in the club’s history, and still the three best players in the squad, all departing for nothing ahead of a summer where there are already pressing matters to address elsewhere.
Fortunately, after months of non-updates on his situation, Van Dijk told journalists after the 3-2 defeat at Craven Cottage that “there is progress” in talks over an extension.
Instantly, the mood shifts, and with The Athletic’s David Ornstein describing it as a matter of “when rather than if” both Van Dijk and Salah put pen to paper on new deals, that pessimism over Liverpool’s run-in is abated.
Ensuring the commitment of their captain and third-top goalscorer of all time would go a long way to future-proofing Slot’s squad for long-term success.
Finally, it would answer questions over whether new signings would be joining to play alongside Van Dijk and Salah or as part of a near-impossible task to recreate their influence in the aggregate.
For example Milos Kerkez, the Bournemouth left-back at the top of the shortlist for Andy Robertson replacements, can be assured that he would start next to one of the world’s best centre-backs if he opted for Anfield, rather than another new face.
And the likes of Ibrahima Konaté and Conor Bradley, themselves in talks over new contracts, would know they are tying themselves to a stable project rather than one in transition.
Liverpool will eventually need to move on from Van Dijk, who turns 34 in July, and Salah, 33 in June, but they can ill afford to do so in a summer where they may also be looking to sign another centre-back, a right-back, a left-back, another midfielder and potentially two attackers.
So long the bedrock of this Liverpool side, having the pair sign beyond the end of this season would be a signal of stability in a period of significant change; proof that there can be longevity to Slot’s early success.
All signs point to Van Dijk putting pen to paper first, and an announcement in the coming days would, perhaps most importantly, restore positive feeling around a time that should see Merseyside celebrating.
Liverpool are, after all, champions-elect. The intensity of their recent run of results may not feed into that, but that is a remarkable achievement.
Few, if any, expected Slot to win the Premier League in his first season at Liverpool head coach and he has all but done so in emphatic fashion.
The uncertainty around the squad has soured that, but it is far from irrevocable; those months and months of angst around the contract situation can be overturned by the sight of the captain holding up a ‘Van Dijk 2027(+1)’ shirt and Salah to follow.
It would not solve everything, but in a sport that is so centred around emotion, it would certainly lift the mood around what should be a monumental occasion for the club.
Van Dijk himself will know that. It’s time for Liverpool and their captain to make that statement.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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