Liverpool could be busy over the coming months with a number of pressing concerns within their squad.
If the summer transfer window centred around Liverpool’s need for external, high-class recruitment, matters over the coming months might be focused on those already at Anfield.
The Reds have been able to absorb summer arrivals Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo into the squad well enough to the point where they stand as Premier League leaders heading into mid-January but the surge towards a surprise title challenge has been underpinned by those who have already been there and done it at Anfield.
Virgil van Dijk looks back to somewhere near his imperious best since taking on the armband from Jordan Henderson in the summer. The Reds captain has been the defensive rock upon which everything has been built, inspiring the back four to the meanest record in the division with just 18 conceded after 20 games.
Mohamed Salah once more leads the way for Liverpool in front of goal. The Egyptian is the only player to reach double figures so far and his haul of 18 means he has a real shot of breaking the 30 barrier once more upon his return from the Africa Cup of Nations.
And Trent Alexander-Arnold appears to have gone up a level since being handed the vice-captaincy by Jurgen Klopp on the club’s pre-season tour of the Far East. The versatile right-back has flourished in the hybrid full-back position, once more proving himself as the creative fulcrum of the team, this time just from slightly more central areas.
All three have been instrumental to the cause but that is not all they have in common. The trio are all out of contract in the summer of 2025, meaning they have less than 18 months on their current terms.
Given the importance of each player, it’s a conundrum for Liverpool to wrestle with and even if they take the decision to kick the can down the road to the summer months, it is a situation that will only look more difficult to navigate successfully the further we get into 2024.
Mohamed Salah
One of the key factors around Salah signing the deal that made him the highest-paid player in Anfield history in June 2022 was the belief that he could continue to be a world-class operator well into his 30s.
Those with knowledge of the deal at the time spoke of Salah’s unshakable belief in his own ability to maintain those standards for the long haul and Liverpool – and, it must be stressed owners Fenway Sports Group – placed their trust in the player’s word.
Since signing a deal that sees him earn around £350,000 a week, Salah has scored 48 times for the Reds and has become their all-time top scorer in both the Premier League and European competitions. More recently, the No.11 has surpassed the 200 mark at Anfield.
His goal return of 14 in the Premier League alongside eight assists sees him top of both lists alongside Erling Haaland (goals) and Ollie Watkins (assists) and such numbers are why Liverpool owner Mike Gordon was happy to snub a £150m offer from Saudi Arabian champions Al-Ittihad in August.
Salah is a phenomenon who is showing no signs of slowing down and his expected form upon his comeback from the AFCON is the biggest reason fans feel emboldened to challenge Manchester City’s Premier League crown.
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However, Salah will be 32 by the time he enters the final year of the biggest contract ever handed down by the Reds. Negotiations with his representative, the Colombian lawyer Ramy Abbas, were fraught and protracted in 2022 before then sporting director Julian Ward and the club’s general counsel Jonathan Bamber flew to the Greek island of Mykonos to personally watch Salah sign the deal.
Salah’s professionalism and dedication to his craft will allow him to play well into his late 30s and his performances since signing the deal 18 months ago have proven that contract call to be the right one but what happens in the summer will be fascinating.
Does Salah want to stay on beyond the summer of 2025? Will Liverpool continue to pay those sorts of sums for someone who will be edging towards his mid-30s? How much will external interest from Saudi Arabia remains? This perhaps feels like the most intriguing of the contract issues.
With the Reds forward settled in the North West with his wife Magi and two kids, Makka and Kayan, it’s unclear if there is any real appetite from the player himself to move to Saudi Arabia and the subsequent struggles of former team-mates Jordan Henderson and Roberto Firmino might be food for thought, even if Abbas, as is his prerogative, will continue searching for the best deal for his marquee client.
Virgil van Dijk
Like Salah, captain Van Dijk will have questions around his contract swirling around him in his early 30s but the trajectory of his career means he might not necessarily have the same amount.
