3 problems that Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool successor will need to immediately fix
Top of the new Liverpool manager's to-do list when he succeeds Jurgen Klopp, will be sorting out the futures of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Their contracts are due to expire in July 2025 and Liverpool's success in agreeing new terms will be key to the Reds post-Klopp. It would be a tricky summer anyway if Klopp were staying and the jeopardy is only increased by the departure of director of football Jorg Schmadtke.
Schmadkte is leaving after just a year in charge after succeeding Julian Ward in June and it is now clear he was only really a caretaker to oversee Klopp’s final season.
Ward only lasted a year as Michael Edwards' successor and Liverpool will be appointing their fourth director of football in a little over two years. This cannot be good for a club like Liverpool, who pride themselves on stability, in such a key role.
Normally Schmadkte would be speaking to the camps of Salah, van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold now to hammer out deals and contract talks can take months to conclude.
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Salah, in particular, presents Liverpool with a problem this summer. Do they cash in on him or carry on negotiating in the hope he will agree new terms to avert losing him for nothing in 2025?
Liverpool rejected a £150million offer from Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad during the summer transfer window and the interest from the Pro League will only increase.
Salah is 32 in June and the Saudis would love one of the world’s best players to become their new poster boy when he is still in his prime. The lure of the Middle East is obvious for the Egypt star and Saudi Arabia is only across the narrow Red Sea from his home and he would earn ridiculous amounts of money.
Jurgen Klopp will be a tough act to follow at Liverpool (AFP via Getty Images)Liverpool don’t want to lose him and Salah was their top scorer with 18 goals and eight assists before he went to the AFCON where he picked up a hamstring injury. He has just passed 200 goals for Liverpool and is a phenomenon for the club.
Salah is Liverpool’s top earner on around £350,000-a-week and the Reds will have to top that to keep him because of the huge sums being offered by the Saudis. This would have a knock-on effect for van Dijk, who is on a reported £220,000-a-week, and he would want a salary that reflects his status as the club’s defensive linchpin and captain.
The Dutch international is 33 in July and it should be a no-brainer to hand him a new deal beyond 2025 because he is enjoying one of his best seasons for the Reds.
Van Dijk sowed some seeds of doubt last week when he said he did not know if he would be part of the new manager’s vision, but he quickly rowed back on those comments. He is key to Liverpool, not just because of his displays, but his natural leadership qualities.
Jurgen Klopp's successor must keep Trent Alexander-Arnold at LiverpoolAgain Alexander-Arnold will want be paid what he is worth. He was 25 in November, is approaching his peak and is already Liverpool’s vice-captain. He is on around £180,000-a-week and his camp will want north of that figure.
On the plus side, Alexander-Arnold is a boyhood Red who loves the club and who doesn’t want to leave. But Liverpool cannot take that for granted and must pay the going rate for someone who is their finest passer and who is having his best season for the club.
Liverpool’s FSG owners understand this and have overseen the biggest increase in wages in the Premier League during the last decade. However, the Reds are fifth in the latest Premier League wages table and FSG will only pay what the club can afford. All this makes this summer very interesting.
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