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The International Break Must See Contracts Renewed

Following Liverpool‘s emphatic 0-3 win over Manchester United (on Sunday afternoon), the Old Trafford pitch and subsequent post-match interviews brought to the fore some amazing comments from the reds record-breaking scorer, Mohamed Salah. After orchestrating a deserved win (through two assists and a goal), the Egyptian King appeared keen to mention his current contract situation. The questioning was undertaken by none other than his former Anfield stablemate and friend, Daniel Sturridge, who raised the matter of where his future may lay after this season. Every single Liverpool supporter is painfully aware that the trio of club captain, Virgil van Dijk, the vice-captain, Trent Alexander Arnold, and the former Roma winger, Salah, are all in the final year of their existing contracts and have yet to pen extensions to their current deals.

The comments were made immediately after the game by the 32-year-old wide forward, stating that he was yet to be spoken to directly by the club, whilst looking jubilant after a match winning display. The notion was mentioned by the player himself, that this could be the last season he spends with the historic Merseyside club, however, I took something very different away from his words and saw them as a calculated form of propaganda.

Is Salah Likely to Sign an Extension…?

Over the next three years, the world famous LFC number eleven will be able to fight the likes of Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, and Vinicius Junior, to claim the most coveted individual accolade in all of world football, the Ballon d’Or. To imagine any of those world-class individuals operating within the infamous Saudi Pro League (in the foreseeable future) would be both startling and disheartening. There is a very valid reason why the heavily regressed pair of Fabinho, and Jordan Henderson, both landed in the Middle East last summer, to align their weakening capabilities with that which mirrored the professional level of play in the Middle East.

Regarding one of the most exciting football projects in all of Europe, it cannot be denied that the era of the new Liverpool Head Coach, Arne Slot, has given great promise to an excited fanbase, something which will surely have spread to his squad of players. Once upon a time and under the guidance of a German legend, there existed a group of hungry and talented assets, which were assembled to become the greatest team on earth. Some of those individuals remain at the football club and will have demanded an undetermined period of time to assess the man that was replacing their beloved former manager, Jürgen Klopp. I believe that period for assessment ended at full-time on Sunday and the words delivered by the team’s talisman, Mohamed Salah, were an immediate prompt for the Anfield hierarchy to present him (and his teammates) with a new deal that can solidify his loyalty to this illustrious footballing institution.

When Are Contract Extensions Likely to Be Confirmed…?

Since the 1st June, the new Sporting CEO, Michael Edwards, would have been tasked with appointing a new Sporting Director, a new Head Coach, an entirely new coaching staff, as well as filling various roles in the analytics and medical departments. On top of that daunting list of jobs, there would have been additional Technical Directors appointed to positions within both Liverpool and FSG, to work towards creating a multi club model. It is also very likely that given the issues relating to the questionable transfer window, all contract renewals were to be pushed to this first international break of the 2024/25 season. I cannot imagine that the new Liverpool boss, Slot, would have allowed any sort of contractual distractions, as he attempted to realign the squad with his own vision. There are now two weeks to go until Liverpool play their next game, as a raft of players head off to represent their nations. During this break in the domestic schedule, there will surely be contract negotiations undertaken to nail down the future of the three world-class players mentioned, Virgil, Trent, and Mo.

In under two weeks’ time, Liverpool will welcome Nottingham Forest to Anfield as they resume their schedule of fixtures. I suspect that by the time that encounter kicks off, the pressure exerted by the Egyptian King (to bring negotiations to the table) will have paid off and a new deal agreed. Any drive for silverware will rely heavily on the younger individuals within the regeneration, however, the elite veterans will certainly remain the vital components which can enable ultimate success.

The importance of extending the contracts of the reds most vitals assets is upon us, with Mohamed Salah leading the charge to begin talks.

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