11:37, 26 Nov 2024
Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool
Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool
Undoubtedly it wasn't in the thoughts of Mohamed Salah when, after a moment's deliberation, he decided now was the time to re-engage with the written press. But by speaking to a select group of journalists, including the ECHO, after helping Liverpool scrap to victory at Southampton on Sunday, the Egyptian was doing one of his team-mates an enormous favour.
This was supposed to be the week where the conversation was dominated by the ongoing speculation surrounding Trent Alexander-Arnold's contract and rumoured interest from Real Madrid.
Even though there's no guarantee the right-back will feature in Wednesday's Champions League clash between the clubs at Anfield - a low grade hamstring injury meant he missed the weekend trip to the South Coast - his absence would have done little to temper the chatter.
Salah, though, managed that with a matter of a few sentences. Now, not for the first time with Real Madrid looming, it's the 32-year-old's future being debated.
Was the Egyptian, as Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher suggested on Monday night, being selfish with the timing of his calculated comments? Perhaps a little. But having just dug the Reds out of a hole for the umpteenth time in his Anfield career - as well as being his fourth decisive goal already this term, after winners against Wolves and Brighton and an equaliser at Arsenal - it was as opportune time to deliberately turn up the heat on the club's hierarchy.
And it confirmed publicly what had previously been understood by those within the game. Salah wants to stay at Liverpool. Virgil van Dijk, the third Reds player to be in the final 12 months of his present deal, is the same.
The situation of Alexander-Arnold, though, isn't quite so clear-cut, at least not to supporters. And while the right-back and his representatives have long opted to maintain a respectful silence as he determines his future, that has allowed a vacuum to be filled with Real Madrid regularly being linked by the Spanish media.
It also demonstrates the difference with his situation. That both Salah and Van Dijk want to stay means that, to a certain extent, Liverpool have an element of control over negotiations. They know the preferred intentions of the duo and, in reality, any move away from Anfield at this stage of their careers would, from a footballing point of view, be a step down.
It doesn't mean either should compromise their sense of value, nor their demands for contract length. But with both in their thirties and nearer the end of their careers than the beginning, anything longer than two years might be regarded as folly from Liverpool. That may well be the sticking point.
Alexander-Arnold, though, is 26, the same age Van Dijk was when moving to Liverpool and only a year younger than when Salah was brought to the club. Approaching his prime, this is the time for him to make a career-defining decision, whether that be to remain at Anfield and continue his path towards matching Van Dijk and Salah as Reds legends, or follow in the footsteps of Michael Owen and Steve McManaman by instead attempting to forge a new reputation at the Bernabeu.
That talks are ongoing with all three players indicates Liverpool want them all to remain. But the club don't have the same leverage with Alexander-Arnold as they do Salah and Van Dijk. And it's why, should the England international still be assessing his options, a failure to find a speedy resolution with the contracts of his two team-mates could play into the hands of any potential suitors of Alexander-Arnold.
Regardless, with now less than 40 days until all three can officially open talks with clubs from abroad over a free transfer in the summer, time is becoming of the essence.
And while Salah's future is currently in the spotlight, it's that of Alexander-Arnold that is in danger of becoming the most pressing for Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes.
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