John Aldridge has urged the Liverpool hierarchy to get moving ‘ASAP’ on securing the futures of four crucial players at Anfield.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah all see their current contracts expire in June 2025, with the former reportedly attracting interest from Real Madrid, while Alisson Becker is tied down until 2027 (Transfermarkt).
In his latest column for the Liverpool Echo, the former Reds striker even said that whoever is appointed as Jurgen Klopp’s successor must want to work with that quartet, or else they’re not the right manager.
FOLLOW Empire of the Kop on Instagram (@empireofthekop) HERE
Aldridge wrote: “A new manager comes in, they need to sort those contracts out as soon as possible to make sure these players are part of his plans. You don’t want to, all of a sudden, lose the manager and then lose four world class players. It’s as easy as that. You tie them down or you do whatever needs doing.
“You get the manager in place, you see the structure he wants. As soon as he says those players are good, you tie them down. I can understand why they have waited, but I would have tied them down before the manager came in.
“If a new manager comes in and doesn’t want Trent Alexander-Arnold, you don’t want the manager. A manager comes in and doesn’t want Alisson, then you don’t want the manager. If he doesn’t want them four players then you don’t want the manager in my opinion!
“It’s awkward for the owners, but they’re starting things in place with the structure now. But they need to sort out things with these players as soon as possible because we’ve got enough on our plate to replace the best manager in football.
“We need to sort that out ASAP. The owners need to sort it out. I don’t know what the plan is but it needs looking into.”
It’s virtually impossible to imagine that whoever Liverpool hire as their next manager wouldn’t want to keep Trent, Salah, Van Dijk and Alisson, who currently comprise 80% of Klopp’s leadership group at Anfield (along with Andy Robertson).
You can understand why Aldridge is eager for the trio whose contracts are approaching their final year to have their futures sorted at the earliest opportunity, with each passing month that it goes unresolved weakening the club’s position.
As the columnist mentioned, it’s a big enough blow for the Reds to lose one of their greatest managers this summer without the concurrent risk of seeing several core players moving on also.
It’s understood that CEO of Football Michael Edwards and sporting director Richard Hughes are both very keen to sort out Trent’s future as a priority (Graeme Bailey, HITC), so that should soon be resolved hopefully, even with the duo simultaneously stepping up the search for Klopp’s successor.
The next two months could be pivotal for Liverpool both on and off the pitch, with two trophies still to be won and multiple contract situations requiring attention, not to mention the massive decision over the club’s next manager.