Liverpool leads the Premier League but is failing the test to tie down its best players

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk inching towards free agency

Published Oct 17, 2024  •  5 minute read

Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold reacts after failing to score during the English Premier League football match against Manchester United. Getty Images

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There’s growing angst at Liverpool.

Yes, they sit atop the Premier League. And no, it’s not necessarily because they face a resurgent Chelsea in this weekend’s FUBO Game of the Week. Or that they travel to rival Arsenal the following week.

It’s that the Reds’ negligence in handling contracts is coming home to roost.

It would not be a stretch to say their three best players this season have been Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, though you could certainly give a shout to Ryan Gravenberch and Luis Diaz as well.

What’s causing Liverpool fans serious worry is that Salah, van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold are all out of contract at the end of the season.

In June, they can sign for any club they want with no compensation coming back to Liverpool. Even worse, starting in January they can sign a pre-contract agreement with any non-English club.

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Losing van Dijk, who is 33, or Salah, 32, for nothing would be devastating. But losing Alexander-Arnold, who is just 26 and was born and raised in Liverpool (he joined the club’s academy when he was just 6) would be unforgivable.

And yet the sharks are circling. Real Madrid have been making increasingly public noise about its intent to sign Alexander-Arnold as soon as he’s available and it won’t cost a penny in transfer fees.

The fact they can bring in such a high quality player in his prime without a transfer fee means they can just throw more money at his salary to lure him to Spain.

It’s negligence of the highest order for Liverpool’s braintrust to have them sitting in such a position mere weeks before it’s out of their control.

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What remains to be seen is Alexander-Arnold’s resolve. While one of his closest friends, Jude Bellingham, joined Madrid last season and will certainly be putting the recruitment pressure on, Alexander-Arnold has long expressed a desire to be the full-time captain of his boyhood club.

He also has been steadfast in his refusal to negotiate any morsel of his contract in public, so as the clock ticks ever closer towards the window opening for Madrid, only Alexander-Arnold will know if there’s a figure Liverpool can offer to keep him in place or if he’s already decided on greener pastures.

With three of its best players all in this situation, it highlights what a dreadful job Liverpool’s ownership has done in terms of managing talent. They’re in the midst of a somewhat surprising title challenge after bringing in a new coach, Arne Slot, after the iconic Jurgen Klopp left.

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Slot is making significantly less than Klopp and, other than a cut-price Federico Chiesa, Liverpool brought in no new players this summer, so the assumption was the funds in the bank could be used to secure new contracts for the three top players.

The fact it hasn’t happened yet can only destabilize a team that has a legitimate chance to win a cherished title. And that will be an unmitigated disaster for Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group (which also owns the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Penguins), should they not get the contracts, or silverware, over the line.

Chelsea mounting legitimate challenge

Chelsea suffered another tumultuous off-season and entered the season in controversy with a new manager dealing with unhappy players because of a bloated squad.

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But since an opening day loss to Manchester City, Chelsea hasn’t lost and, though a draw with plucky Nottingham Forest before the break will still be annoying the Blues, they’ve climbed into the Champions League places that many thought was a goal too far for them this season.

They’ve managed to score a plenty with Cole Palmer being a revelation and looking like the only one who can challenge Erling Haaland for the Golden Boot.

But due to some poor disciplinary decisions, they’re missing Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana due to suspension and likely are to be without injured captain Reece James as well. Thankfully they have a squad of 46 first-team players, so they have some options to elevate.

Liverpool has conceded just two goals all season, the next fewest is Arsenal with six. Liverpool is missing first-choice keeper Alisson Becker, who’s out until late November with a hamstring injury, so Caoimhín Kelleher is between the sticks.

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It’s such a massive game for Chelsea: Win and they’re one back of Liverpool. Arsenal and Man City are almost sure to win, so they’d be two points off the top spot if things go that way. Lose and the Blues are seven behind the Reds.

Reprieve for Erik Ten Hag

It’s so hard to get a handle on what’s happening at Manchester United. After seven matches the Red Devils sit in 14th with just two wins on the season and just a single team, Southampton, has scored fewer goals than them.

Apparent ‘showdown’ meetings during the break resulted in the club management deciding to stick with manager Erik Ten Hag. There was thought to be a flirtation with former Chelsea, PSG, Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel, but he’s now committed to the English national team.

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So Ten Hag would appear to be the guy for now, seeing as the international break would have been the ideal time to make the change. United has Brentford, West Ham and Chelsea in its next three matches.

The chief decision maker is Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who bought a 27% stake in the club (for $2.25 billion) last year. The majority owners, the Glazer family, appear happy to let Ratcliffe make all the big decisions.

But if fans weren’t shocked at Ten Hag not being sacked during the break, they were flabbergasted with who was let go: Legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson — the man who lead the team to so many titles has been removed from his role as club ambassador and told to stay away from the training facility.

If the results don’t start to flow quickly for United, you’re going to see some real anger from the stands.

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Muddle in the middle

While it’s no surprise that the top three, Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal, are separated by a point and it’s equally as expected to see the bottom five separated by just four points, there’s a massive glut in the centre of the table.

From Brentford, in 11th place with 10 points, to Brighton, in sixth with just 12, there sits Newcastle, Fulham, Tottenham and Nottingham Forest.

Those six clubs can see their fortunes swing massively in just a week with the wrong result.

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This weekend’s slate

Saturday: Tottenham v. West Ham; Fulham v. Aston Villa; Ipswich v. Everton; Manchester United v. Brentford; Newcastle v. Brighton; Southampton v. Leicester; Bournemouth v. Arsenal.

Sunday: Wolves v. Manchester City; Liverpool v. Chelsea.

Monday: Nottingham Forest v. Crystal Palace.

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