Dwight Yorke believes Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold should “sit tight” until the end of the season before signing new contracts with Liverpool.
As things stand, the trio will leave Anfield when their current deals expire at the end of June but, speaking to sportslens.com, Yorke said their negotiating position could be stronger in the summer if the Reds go on to win the Premier League title.
“If Liverpool were doing a City at the moment then these players wouldn’t consider sticking around. Liverpool are flying at the moment. If you ask me, from a player’s perspective, there’s no need for them to sign a new deal half-way through the season. They are all in a strong position, they know that if Liverpool doesn’t give them what they want, they’ve got other things lined up. It’s not a drama for these players; there’s no need to sign at this moment in time.”
“You look at the three of them. Salah is scoring, he’s still a top scorer. Van Dijk is solid at the back, looks colossal. Every time he’s seen, he doesn’t seem to break any sweat. Trent is hovering around, because there is the chance he might go to Madrid. There is no secret about that because of Jude Bellingham, his best mate. Why would you not want those options? Why would you rush into it?”
“They are winning the league at the moment. Just sit tight. There is no reason (to sign a new deal). If Liverpool win the league, then it puts all the players in a stronger position. They can walk away with the confidence and the backing of the fans because they’ve been instrumental in winning a title and they have all been magnificent servants of the club. If I were advising them, the message is simple: there’s no rush. Liverpool can offer them as much as possible, but the players have let their contract run down to this point, so they may as well wait until the end of the season. There’s no point signing the deal now.”
Liverpool’s title credentials have been strengthened
The chances of Arne Slot‘s side winning the league increased after an impressive 6-3 win over Tottenham at the weekend. The three points move the Merseysiders further ahead of Chelsea who were held to a draw by Everton.
Alexander-Arnold and Salah (in particular) impressed with their performances against Spurs, with the latter bagging a brace and two assists. That sort of form will also pressure the club into handing them contract extensions.
Salah refused to be drawn on his future after the game
After surpassing Billy Liddell to become Liverpool’s 4th all-time scorer, Salah was asked about his future but he didn’t want to discuss his situation following the final whistle on Sunday:
‘No, no’. Records? It’s great to achieve that at such a big club. Wherever I am going to end my career I am happy about it.”
Find out who is in Liverpool’s first-team squad for 2024/2025 season here
