Advertisement

Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold - ranking Liverpool's biggest contract issues

-Credit: (Image: 2024 Liverpool FC)
-Credit: (Image: 2024 Liverpool FC)


Not a day goes by without speculation about the futures of Liverpool's three star players. Of the players currently in the Liverpool squad, there is little doubt that Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold have arguably been the three most impactful for the Reds over the last few years.

Mismanagement behind the scenes has meant all three players have been allowed to enter the final 12 months of their contracts, and the club now has a job on its hands to resolve the situation satisfactorily.

Here, Liverpool.com takes a look at which player Liverpool should prioritise negotiating a new contract with the most.

1st - Mohamed Salah

Given Trent Alexander-Arnold's age (25), many fans would argue that the Reds should prioritise keeping him at the club given the years that clearly lie ahead of him at the highest level.

But Mohamed Salah's brilliance cannot be overstated and he has been Liverpool's best player for the last seven years, and shows no sign of slowing up any time soon.

Read more: Virgil van Dijk opens up on Liverpool contract and Reds future with clear message

Read more: Fernando Torres continues to show where his priorities lie with incredible body transformation

Salah is only 32, and he clearly takes a professional approach to managing his health and his body, which will undoubtedly extend his career at the highest level.

If Liverpool has to sign a replacement for Salah next summer, it will have to pay top dollar, and even then it is unlikely that whoever it signs will match Salah's output.

2nd - Trent Alexander-Arnold

Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to play right-back for England -Credit:Getty Images

When all is said and done, Alexander-Arnold could well go down as the Premier League's all-time best right-back, but a consistent goal-scoring forward will always be the most valuable type of player in soccer, and that is why it is more important for Liverpool to renew Salah's contract than Alexander-Arnold's.

Also, in Conor Bradley, Liverpool has an exciting young right-back that proved last season that he has what it takes to play at right-back in Liverpool's team. Bradley isn't as talented a passer as Alexander-Arnold but he is still a threat on the front foot and dependable at the back.

3rd - Virgil van Dijk

At 33, Virgil van Dijk is the oldest of the three players, and although he had a transformational effect after joining the Reds in 2018 - and continues to perform at a high level - somebody had to come last and in this case that somebody is Van Dijk.

Van Dijk has publicly said that he wants to stay at Liverpool, so at least he has put his cards on the table, but at 33 and with a serious knee injury on his record, there is perhaps more uncertainty around how long he can keep going at the top level than there is with Salah and Alexander-Arnold.