Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group have big calls to make with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk While Liverpool have started the Premier League season in remarkable fashion under Arne Slot, the rumbling issue behind the scenes over the contracts of three of its main stars refuses to go away. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah , and Virgil van Dijk all find themselves out of contract at the end of this season, and all three are impactful key players for Slot, all contributing to high levels that would warrant extended and enhanced stays. The problem for Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group is that such has been the output of the trio that they face an expensive task in retaining their services.
There is the understandable expectation from supporters that they will do just that. But from a business perspective, the owners will, certainly in the case of Salah and van Dijk, be looking at extensions based upon what the players in question will deliver over the coming seasons, not what they have achieved in previous years. For players who are in their 30s and who will be approaching late 30s by the time any new deals run out, that often means having to take a pay cut.
Selling the idea of a pay cut to players who are still contributing in enormous ways to the club at present, and who have shown no signs of decline, is a challenging one. But for owners the focus is on what the value for money and return on investment for Liverpool looks like in two or th.