‘What I expect from Liverpool…’ – Fabrizio Romano weighs in on Anfield trio’s contract sagas
Fabrizio Romano has weighed in with his two cents on the contract situations surrounding three crucial Liverpool players.
Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold all see their current deals expire next summer, with the Egyptian hinting after Sunday’s win over Manchester United that this could be his final season at Anfield.
Writing in his Daily Briefing on Wednesday morning, the journalist is adamant that LFC chiefs must do whatever it takes to keep the trio at the club beyond June 2025.
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Romano said: “There continues to be a lot of speculation about Liverpool’s star players, and some have even suggested that ageing players like Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk maybe shouldn’t be a priority for new long-term contracts.
“Still, my opinion is that if you have Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold you should keep them. These are three fantastic players, not normal or good players. They are top players, top leaders. You should do everything possible to keep them at the club and this is what I expect from Liverpool.”
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We fully agree with Romano’s take on the three-pronged contract saga which has already sent Liverpool fans’ anxiety levels through the roof, with the matter not helped by Salah’s post-match comments at the weekend.
While it generally makes sense for Anfield chiefs not to hand out lucrative contract extensions to players who are in their 30s, the Egyptian and Van Dijk have proven over several years – and are continuing to prove – that exemptions would be warranted in their cases.
As for Trent, it beggars belief that the hierarchy haven’t been more proactive in securing the future of a top-class player who’s still only in his mid-20s yet has already made 313 senior appearances for the Reds and has been entrusted with the vice-captaincy, such is the respect that he commands inside the club.
Liverpool still have four months to sort out new deals for the trio before they can be approached by other clubs for a potential pre-contract agreement, and it’s incomprehensible that they won’t get at least one or two of them tied down before the end of 2024.
We don’t even want to imagine the rebuilding job which’d be required next summer if all three were to depart before then. Now that the transfer window is closed until January, these pressing contractual situations must be the priority for Richard Hughes and co.
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