Liverpool owner Fenway Sports Group has always been reluctant to hand out lucrative contract extensions to players in the twilight of their careers.
The logic is sound. You don’t want to find yourself paying superstar wages to fading bit-part players.
You have to take the emotion out of the decision-making process. Forget what someone has already achieved, what do you honestly believe they still have left to offer? Would that money be better spent elsewhere?
Georginio Wijnaldum and Roberto Firmino, two players adored by Liverpool supporters for the part they played in the greatest triumphs of the Jurgen Klopp era, were allowed to leave as free agents in their early thirties after failing to agree new terms. Nothing that duo have achieved since has cast those ruthless judgement calls in a bad light.
Sometimes, change is crucial as a team evolves, but it’s also a strength to recognise when exceptions to the rule are necessary.
News that top scorer Mohamed Salah and captain Virgil van Dijk are close to signing new two-year contracts at Liverpool will be a source of great joy and relief for a fanbase preparing to celebrate Premier League title glory in the coming weeks.
Discourse over their futures has dragged on all season, with head coach Arne Slot making it clear that he was desperate to keep both players on board.
When Richard Hughes started work as Liverpool sporting director just over a year ago, resolving the contract situations of Salah, Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold was one of the biggest issues he inherited.
Alexander-Arnold was always a different case to the other two, given his age and the fact that he already had Real Madrid actively pursuing him. The Spanish giants tried and failed to buy him in the January window but their interest persisted. The 26-year-old England right-back is expected to complete a free transfer to the Bernabeu this summer.
But across this season, there has been a growing confidence internally at Liverpool that a compromise would be reached for Salah and Van Dijk to stay put. Both players have spoken publicly about their emotional bond with the club and the desire to enhance their legacy.
The evidence required to convince the owner to push the boat out to retain their services has been increasingly compelling.
Salah has scored 32 goals and contributed 22 assists in 45 appearances in all competitions. The Egyptian attacker is set to win the Premier League Golden Boot and be crowned PFA Player of the Year.
Van Dijk has been the defensive rock on which Liverpool’s title challenge has been built with a succession of commanding performances. The Dutchman’s leadership also makes him a huge asset as he sets the standards on and off the pitch.
As well as quality, there’s durability in abundance, which is a testament to their professionalism. Salah, Van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch have started all 31 Premier League matches this season. You have to go back to 1987-88 for the last time Liverpool had three or more players ever present in the league at this stage of the campaign.
Salah and Van Dijk have certainly adopted different approaches during the impasse.
“Well, we are almost in December and I haven’t received any offers yet to stay in the club. I’m probably more out than in,” Salah told reporters after the 3-2 win at Southampton in November.
“I have been in the club for many years. There is no club like this. I love the fans. The fans love me. It is not in my hands or the fans’ hands. I’m just doing my best because this is who I am and I try to give it all for myself and the club.”
It was only the third time Salah had stopped to speak to the English written media since arriving from Roma for £44million ($56m at current exchange rates) in the summer of 2017. He clearly wanted to get something off his chest. A banner on the Kop at subsequent home matches sent a clear message to the owner: “FSG. He fires a bow. Now give Mo his dough.”
Salah told Sky Sports in January: “There is no progress. We are far away from any progress.” In recent months, the third-highest goalscorer in the club’s history has been more tight-lipped over developments as negotiations started to gather pace.
In contrast, Van Dijk has never sought to publicly turn up the heat on the Anfield hierarchy. As captain, he has felt a duty to ensure the focus remains on delivering silverware.
Just three weeks ago, following Liverpool’s Champions League exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, the Dutch defender insisted he had “no idea” where he would be playing his football next season and said anyone claiming they knew where his future lay was “lying to your face”.
After last Sunday’s defeat at Fulham, which ended the club’s 26-game unbeaten league run, it was clear that a breakthrough had been achieved as Van Dijk talked about “progress” being made in negotiations.
If money was the motivating factor, then both players would be waving goodbye to Anfield come the summer and going to play in the Saudi Pro League. But they are competitive beasts who want to be competing at the highest level for the most coveted prizes.
In the summer of 2027, Salah will turn 35 and Van Dijk 36. These new deals effectively ensure that Liverpool will keep them until they step away from the big stage.
The terms of the extensions they are close to penning are unclear but imagine how much it would have cost the club to replace one of the greatest centre-backs of the modern era and their most prolific attacker since Ian Rush.
Common sense has prevailed. There is no crystal ball to provide certainty but the here and now suggests that keeping Salah and Van Dijk for another two years is smart.
Don’t expect FSG to make a habit of it, but Salah and Van Dijk deserve their special treatment.
(Top photo: Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
