Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool should prioritise re-signing Virgil van Dijk and has listed Trent Alexander-Arnold above Mohamed Salah.
The crucially important trio all have contracts that expire next summer, and while the Reds are flying on the pitch, off of it, a lack of negotiation and radio silence from the club on their situations is creating panic.
Salah has been incredibly outspoken about his situation. After an away win against Southampton last month, he told reporters that he was ‘more out than in’ and had not been approached by the club for talks. Still, Carragher believes he is the player who should be focused on the least despite his stunning form this season.
Asked by punditry peer Gary Neville which of the three is the most vital to tie down, ex-Reds defender Carragher opted for impervious defender Van Dijk, also citing Alexander-Arnold's age as a decisive factor for putting him above Salah in the priority order.
“The first player would be Virgil van Dijk,” Carragher confidently told Neville on the It’s Called Soccer! Podcast.
“I think that this guy is way above probably any centre-back I've seen in the Premier League era. You see the way he’s played against [Erling] Haaland and [Kylian] Mbappe – they're the two best-attacking players now in world football.
“Football at the top level is almost too easy for Virgil van Dijk. He makes mistakes through complacency. We saw that again on Saturday. So, for me, Virgil van Dijk.
“The next one would be Trent Alexander-Arnold. The only reason I’m saying that is because of his age. I think, obviously, you can sign Trent now, and you’ve got him for the rest of his career.”
The versatile Alexander-Arnold has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid – a club put to the sword at Anfield last month in the Champions League, which Liverpool currently top.
Such incendiary form, which also sees Arne Slot’s team sit at the Premier League’s summit, is in large part due to the goals tucked away by talisman Salah, who leads the top-flight with 13. Yet, the fact that the Egyptian continues to fire at the highest of levels hasn't deterred Carragher.
“Mo would be third,” he continued. “Just for the fact that I’d probably pick Van Dijk over Mo. He’s obviously a lot older. But, of course, he'd be massively missed - you’d miss all three, but that’s the order I’d sort of say in importance. That’s gonna go down well with my Salah fans, isn’t it?”
However, if former Egypt defender Haytham Farouk is to be believed, the Reds may have acted against Carragher's wishes and already given their top scorer a new deal.
Farouk took to X on the same day Salah netted a stunning brace in a 3-3 draw against Newcastle and congratulated the winger on renewing his contract at Anfield: "Congratulations on renewing your contract with the number you like and the period you want. The Egyptian king rules with his own judgments."
The ex-defender is an analyst for beIN Sports and has been reported to have a connection with Liverpool's star forward.
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