Remarkably Arne Slot has watched his Liverpool side win TWENTY ONE of his first 25 matches in charge.
It has been a spectacular start for the ex-Feyenoord boss since he replaced Jurgen Klopp at the helm, with no manager having won 20 games quicker while in charge of an English top-flight club than the Dutchman - for the historian’s among you, Preston’s William Sudell also won 20 of his first 24 in the same game-span in 1888-89.
After Sunday’s 6-3 thrashing of Spurs, Liverpool are top of the Premier League, top of the Champions League standings and have a Carabao Cup semi-final in the diary. Yet, unusually, they have three marquee players out of contract at the end of the season. And not just three marquee players … the best player, the captain and the vice-captain.
So what is the current state of play with Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, and will they be at Anfield next season?
Are any of the three players likely to sign a pre-contract with a non-English club on January 1?
As their contracts expire at the end of this season, the trio are free to speak to non-English clubs from January 1 onwards and can even sign a pre-contract agreement with another team. But that last-case scenario is extremely unlikely to happen. Even if any one of them is leaning towards an Anfield exit, they will not formalise it before their domestic and European campaigns are concluded.
While Salah caused a bit of a kerfuffle with a recent interview in which he suggested he was ‘more out than in’, all parties are determined to make the process as respectful as possible. Van Dijk insisted after Sunday’s win at Spurs that there “is no deadline” - but January 1 is approaching fast.
Are there any deals on the table and, if so, what are the lengths of contracts?
When Salah made his ‘more out than in’ statement, he was probably alluding to the fact that no formal offer had been placed in front of him or his advisers but informal discussions have been ongoing for quite some time.
It is thought Liverpool would be willing to give 32-year-old Salah a two-year deal with the same length of contract available to Van Dijk, who turns 34 next July. Salah is believed to want a one-year option - on top of a two-year agreement - that can be activated by club or player.
Liverpool want to give Alexander-Arnold, who turned 26 a couple of months ago, a four-year deal with a one-year option.
Are Liverpool likely to meet the financial demands of the players?
Salah is an undisputed all-time Premier League great, Van Dijk is a colossus of a defender and captain and while Alexander-Arnold is Liverpool born and bred, an obvious future skipper and world-class operator. But Liverpool will not be held to ransom.
Salah’s current deal is £350,000 a week and while he will expect a rise, don’t expect the club to go above £400,000 a week. Van Dijk is on £220,000 a week at the moment and he will be looking for a significant increase but, again, Liverpool will not want to go overboard.
Alexander-Arnold could be the most problematic. Liverpool would be willing to up his wages from £170,000 a week to £250,000 a week but his advisers will tell him he could probably earn an extra £100,000 a week elsewhere.
Who is the most likely to leave and who is the most likely to stay?
It is highly unlikely Virgil van Dijk will fail to come to an agreement with Liverpool, where he could even have a role when his playing days are over.
The prospect of moving to another club is not turning his head and the impact made by countryman Arne Slot should convince him that Liverpool is the club at which he wants to end his career.
Salah’s fine form is also likely to dissuade him from a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia - he still craves elite medals and individual accolades and is not going to collect those while in Saudi.
Alexander-Arnold’s situation is the least predictable. If Real Madrid make their interest concrete, he will find it hard to turn down.
At which point will the club need to make a decision if negotiations drag on? Will it impact their own transfer business?
It goes without saying that Liverpool executives would like all three to agree new deals sooner rather than later but even if that can’t be done, there is no chance of movement in the January transfer window.
The Anfield hierarchy is not complacent but is certainly not expecting all three to leave next summer. They will have contingency plans in place but are willing to allow negotiations with Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold to continue until the end of the season if necessary.
The vibes going out of Liverpool’s top office is that there is no panic.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky has slashed the price of its Sky Sports, Sky Stream, Sky TV and Netflix bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £240 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.