Virgil van Dijk contract: Arne Slot shares ‘wish’ over Liverpool ace
Arne Slot has adapted to life at Liverpool seamlessly and has his side sitting at the top of the Premier League, six points clear.
Not only is a Premier League title on the cards but the Reds are in the Carabao Cup final as well as remaining in the FA Cup and the Champions League.
While the future looks bright under the Dutchman, there are concerns over the contracts of some vital players at Anfield.
Liverpool have player futures to sort out
One very loud conversation surrounding Liverpool this season has focused on the future of key players Virgil van Dijk, Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold who are all out of contract in the summer.
The Reds are yet to tie any of the players down on new deals but there has been constant debate over who the most crucial part of the machine is with van Dijk racking up plenty of votes for his role.
Jamie Carragher was full of praise for the 33-year-old’s performance against Tottenham as his side reached the final of the competition with a 4-0 win on Thursday (6 February), ensuring a 4-1 aggregate victory.
Contract talk have clearly not distracted the defender this term and the captain has continued to be a core part of the side this season with a goal and an assist from 23 Premier League appearances.
When asked in his pre-match press conference (7 February) about what he thought of the praise for Van Dijk, Slot admitted what he would like to happen going forward as he said [quoted via Liverpool Echo]: “Carragher and Virgil are friends again? [Laughs]
“Virgil deserves all the credit he gets and yesterday was an example of that. He was, in a good way, aggressive, led the team with and without the ball, he was sharp and ready and it was no coincidence it took 80 minutes for their first shot on target. He wants to make this a great season.
“His future? Good health! That’s the first thing I wish for him and I hope I enjoy working with him for a long time.”
Liverpool need to secure Virgil van Dijk future
Liverpool don’t seem too worried about sorting out the contracts that are expiring at the end of the season yet and given they are performing so well across all competitions with no one showing any signs of being affected by the uncertainty, you can see why it’s taken a backseat.
However, the Reds need to act now and secure their captain’s services on a longer term as van Dijk has continued to be such a crucial part of the side this term and shows no signs of slowing up in this way.
The 33-year-old showed the best version of himself with his performance against Tottenham that took his side through to a final at Wembley Stadium and his physicality and leadership throughout the game showed a man who is fully committed to the project he is a part of at Liverpool.
Slot has expressed his desire to work with the defender for a long time which gives a very good indication that the manager wants to extend his stay at the club.
Therefore, the hierarchy at Anfield need to make it a priority to sit down with their starman and strike a deal that will see him commit his future to bring success to Merseyside.