Arne Slot will have plenty on his plate when he arrives at Liverpool this summer. Right up there on his list of priorities will no doubt be the future of Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Slot will officially start work at Anfield on June 1, having had his appointment as the club’s new head coach confirmed on Monday. Alongside new sporting director Richard Hughes, he will be tasked with leading the Reds into a new era following Jürgen Klopp’s departure.

The Dutchman will have plenty of big decisions to make this summer, not least regarding his new squad. Three important players will no doubt be front and center of his plans.

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Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Alexander-Arnold will all be entering the final year of their contracts this summer. There can be little doubt as to who the most important of those three it will be to tie down to a new deal.

Still aged just 25, Alexander-Arnold will without doubt play a big part in Liverpool’s future — or at least he should. Speculation continues over his future amid links with Real Madrid, and a contract situation that will have plenty of fans more than a little nervous.

Those nerves wouldn’t have been settled by Alexander-Arnold’s emotional reaction during Klopp’s farewell on Sunday. England international and former Liverpool academy prospect Conor Coady though believes the German’s departure may have been a factor in a new contract not being signed yet.

“I think him knowing that Jürgen Klopp was leaving and how close he was to Jürgen Klopp,” Coady told BBC’s Monday Night Club.

“I definitely think he would be looking into the season and going, okay, how have we started, how are we playing, how much have things changed, are we going to be playing catch-up to teams quite early, and that might be a reason on the contract situation.”

Liverpool.com says: Liverpool shouldn’t have really let the situation get this far with Alexander-Arnold. At just 25, he seems destined to become the club’s captain, and he still hasn’t reached his peak yet.

Coady might be right though on Klopp’s departure playing a part in any new deal being delayed on Alexander-Arnold’s part. You couldn’t blame him if he wanted to see what life is like under Arne Slot first before potentially committing his future to the club. If that is the case, then Liverpool needs to be ready with an offer as soon as possible.