In his latest column, Sky Sports’ Paul Merson believes Liverpool’s treatment of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah’s contract situations are “criminal” – as all three are on course to leave for free.
Alexander-Arnold’s future has been the main topic of the last week, with talks progressing between the England international and Real Madrid over a free transfer.
With Van Dijk and Salah yet to commit to new terms, read below for The Magic Man’s thoughts…
‘I’d buy Van Dijk and Salah over anyone’
I’ve been saying it for the last eight or nine months – I don’t see any of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk signing at Liverpool.
Because I just don’t know why you wouldn’t have signed already. Why would you keep on losing £80,000 a week, every week for the last 18 months?
I’d be quite shocked if all three stayed from here. Unless Liverpool are prepared to give them £30m, £40m in their bank account.
If Liverpool want to keep on being successful and go again next year, they’ve got to keep Van Dijk and Salah, assuming Alexander-Arnold has already gone.
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Liverpool boss Arne Slot says it is business as usual despite the ‘outside noise’ regarding Trent Alexander-Arnold’s future
I think Van Dijk and Salah are the best in the business in their positions. If I could buy anybody, I’d buy them two.
If you lose Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold, you’ve lost half of the back four. And if you lose Salah, you’re losing 30 to 40 goals a season. Good luck finding them anywhere else.
When you get down to that much talent and they’re that good, you should never have less than two years, or two and a half years left on your contract before they’re sitting down and saying: ‘we want to go again’.
And the only time their contracts should be running out is when they’re 33, 34, when no one wants them.
Wednesday 2nd April 7:00pm
Kick off 8:00pm
In football terms, it’s criminal. It’s criminal that you can let three of the top players in the world of football have their contracts run down, and they could leave for absolutely nothing, go anywhere they want.
‘Trent’s going to a club just above Liverpool’
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Liverpool boss Arne Slot says Trent Alexander-Arnold is focused on getting back fit and is not concerned about the ongoing contract talks
I find the Alexander-Arnold uproar surprising. He’s come through the ranks, he’s won everything there, he didn’t cost anything and he’s going for nothing.
Other people have been bought for £70m and they go on free transfers. No one says a word.
At the end of the day, Liverpool had two or three years to sort this contract out. And to try and sort it out with six months to go is absolutely impossible.
So I don’t know how Liverpool have let it go down to this. And I don’t know too many players that will turn Real Madrid down, if any.
He’s going because it’s Real Madrid. He’s not dropping down and going for the money. He’s going to a club probably just a little bit above Liverpool.
Must-win for Chelsea – but Spurs have Frankfurt on their minds
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Chelsea defender Reece James spoke with Sky Sports reporter Johnny Phillips about Chelsea under Enzo Maresca as the Blues compete for Champions League football
Tottenham is a must-win game for Chelsea.
Tottenham at home, Brentford away and Ipswich at home. If they can get seven points out of their next three games, they’re going to be in the top five with six games to go. It’s in their hands.
Chelsea need Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson back at their best. I’m not too fussed about Noni Madueke though. I’m not his biggest fan in the world. But you’ve got to have Jackson and Palmer firing on all cylinders.
Spurs, meanwhile, have got bigger fish to fry, Chelsea’s not their biggest game. Frankfurt’s huge for them.
It’s all on the Europa League. If they won their last nine games of the season and get beat by Frankfurt, it’s a waste of time.
Thursday 3rd April 7:30pm
Kick off 8:00pm
I don’t know what teams Ange Postecoglou is going to play from now to that game. I know what I’d do. I’d be resting everybody or wrapping them up or only playing them for certain parts of the game.
Tottenham fans won’t want their team going to Stamford Bridge and lying down. They’d rather get beat by Southampton than Chelsea, believe me.
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