Finance Expert reacts to Liverpool contracts saga at Anfield
Liverpool need to be all guns firing to win the Premier League as their contract saga continues to create distractions, Dan Plumley has said.
The Reds are six points clear in the Premier League but the futures of Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk are taking centre stage instead, with their contracts expiring within months.
The trio are free to sign a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs now and there have already been reports of Real Madrid submitting a bid for Alexander-Arnold (Andy Hunter) and Salah has been posting cryptic messages on social media.
Plumley, a football finance expert, admitted that all three would require really significant transfer fees if they were to leave this winter, but the bigger picture remains the Premier League title.
Speaking exclusively to Liverpool News, he said: “It is really fascinating this one, isn’t it? It looks like it is their league to lose. I think some of these contract situations are causing a bit of a distraction certainly in the media, whether or not that is happening internally, we don’t know.
“I think the Alexander-Arnold one is the interesting one for me, that is probably going to command a really big transfer fee if he is to go to Real Madrid this month, are they looking at that like well is it the right time to cash in on that player if he does want to go.
“There is the financial situation of getting your internal ducks in a row to sort those contracts out, and how does that work out in the long-term on wage demands but also particularly Trent and maybe if Van Dijk was to go as well, you are going to be talking significant transfer fees in, and that is another consideration to throw into the mix.
Liverpool situation could ruin Premier League title bid
“I think that is going to be interesting to see how that plays out in January but certainly as we move towards the summer, and as I say the bigger picture for those players and the club at the minute is it needs to be all guns firing to get that Premier League title.”
The fact that three of his star players’ contract situations are not resolved is not ideal for Arne Slot as he bids to win the league title in his maiden season in England.
His side has a commanding lead at the summit but cracks are starting to show after a 2-2 draw to Manchester United in the Premier League (5 January) and a 1-0 loss to Tottenham in the EFL Cup (8 January).
This saga needs to be put to bed soon.
In other Liverpool news, the Reds should go all out to sign a Borussia Dortmund star after a Fabrizio Romano revelation.
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