Former Liverpool Star Remains ‘Confident’ Despite Tough Contract Situation
Proceedings on the pitch are going absolutely brilliantly for Liverpool, with Wednesday’s 0-1 away victory over RB Leipzig being their eleventh win out of the twelve games this season. That in itself is a record-breaking stat, with Arne Slot becoming the first manager in English top division history to win as many games in his first twelve games in charge.
It was also the first time in Liverpool’s history that they have managed to win the first six away games of a season, which is mental to think. However, as good as it has been on the pitch, there are still some lingering concerns over the contracts of Virgil Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Speaking exclusively to Anfield Index, former Liverpool forward Emile Heskey provided his thoughts on the situation, revealing an overall sense of hope regarding the ongoing contract discussions…
Virgil Van Dijk: Good Progress?
“There was an update at the weekend on Van Dijk’s ongoing contract talks,” began Heskey, “So that’s definitely a good thing.” Liverpool’s captain confirmed that talks had started over a new contract following the Reds’ 2-1 victory over Chelsea last week, which has gave fans a glimmer of hope that we can expect some concrete information in the near future.
“Obviously, it would’ve been much better to get these contracts sorted in pre-season, that would’ve been ideal,” pointed out Heskey. Of course that would’ve been the preferred situation, however with the incoming of Slot and his backroom staff – it’s fair to say it was a busy summer for Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards.
Trent Alexander-Arnold: Cause for Concern?
“Out of the three of them, I’m most worried about Trent [Alexander-Arnold],” claimed Heskey, “Of course, when Real Madrid come calling, people’s heads will turn.” The current Champions League winners have certainly set their sights on Alexander-Arnold ahead of the expiry of his contract in the summer.
“Having his best friend Jude Bellingham loving his time out there also doesn’t help!” Heskey joked. The two stars’ friendship has been noted often in the past, mostly when Liverpool were “in the race” for the Real Madrid midfielder a couple of summers ago.
Heskey Remains Confident
“I’m still fairly confident that all three players will sign new contracts,” said Heskey. This would be an outcome that all Liverpool supporters will be praying for, otherwise new head coach Slot will have a huge rebuild on his hands already, which would be far from ideal.
The importance of these three stars can’t be underestimated either, which Heskey was keen to point out: “You look at all three players and you have Van Dijk who is an absolute rock at the back, Trent to step into midfield and control games with his passing and Mohamed Salah who is simply incredible and hugely consistent going forward.”
It’s certainly hard to disagree with Heskey’s observations, with the three players arguably being the three most important at the club currently, perhaps alongside Alisson Becker. Fans will be waiting eagerly for the next update on the trio’s contract situations and hopefully Heskey’s thoughts come to fruition.
