Liverpool faces a significant summer. It has already made a big call by selecting Arne Slot as Jürgen Klopp’s replacement, but plenty more now needs to happen to get the Dutchman’s tenure off to the best possible start.
A couple of departures have been confirmed, with Joël Matip and Thiago Alcântara moving on at the end of their respective contracts. Given their age and injury history, it’s probably the right time, although there’s no doubt that this is star quality that Slot will need to replace in the squad.
Meanwhile, the futures of some other stars certainly need to be settled. It’s expected that Mohamed Salah will once again be the subject of transfer interest from Saudi Arabia, and he’s one of a trio of major names entering the final year of his Liverpool contract, along with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk.
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Between them, following the departure of Thiago, they are the club’s three highest earners, yet all have been allowed to run out the majority of their contracts. While Slot won’t be directly responsible for securing renewals, he will be as keen as anyone to have their futures resolved.
Ideally, Salah and Van Dijk will both sign on, potentially penning extensions for another couple of years. But the worst-case scenario involves Alexander-Arnold’s situation becoming a protracted saga.
It’s credit to the fanbase that there hasn’t yet been any collective hysteria over Alexander-Arnold, but it’s unusual at Liverpool for such a major star in his peak years to be allowed to run his contract down this much. It can be chalked up to all of the churn behind the scenes, but the closer we get to January, the more nerve-wracking the situation becomes.
Should he put pen to paper during the summer, it would be the ideal start for Slot, sending out a signal that the top players are more than willing to play under him, and that Liverpool remains committed to elite talent. That in turn should help maintain Anfield as an attractive transfer destination.
There are a few areas where Slot may want to use that pulling power, but none more so than in defense. As well as losing Matip, Liverpool must contend with the reality that Van Dijk is nearly 33, and Ibrahima Konaté and Joe Gomez are both prone to injuries.
The rapid rise of Jarell Quansah has reduced the urgency of the issue (and he’s another who should sign new terms over the summer), but Slot would still be wise to sign another elite young name to join the back line. And a year on, nobody stands out more than Levi Colwill at Chelsea.
It remains to be seen if the Blues will be open to sanctioning a deal; Colwill ultimately signed new terms at Chelsea last summer, forestalling further speculation. But it’s thought Liverpool retains an interest, and a partnership with Quansah could plausibly form the heart of the defense for a decade to come.
With Alexander-Arnold still set to enjoy years at the very top, that only really leaves left-back requiring a long-term solution. Slot may want to address this in the transfer market too, although Colwill can play there, and Andy Robertson doesn’t need replacing just yet.
If Alexander-Arnold leads a spate of contract renewals and old transfer target Colwill joins the ranks, Slot can be very satisfied with his first summer. Liverpool has already been busy, but the hard work is only just beginning.