Liverpool has recently experienced a series of setbacks, including a defeat in the Carabao Cup final and an exit from the Champions League. These events have raised concerns about their potential impact on key players Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk's contract negotiations.
The Reds suffered a 2-1 setback against Newcastle United at Wembley, which closely followed their penalty shootout loss to Paris Saint-Germain. This double blow has significantly dented Liverpool's trophy ambitions for this season, especially after their early FA Cup departure in the fourth round with a 1-0 loss to Plymouth Argyle. Consequently, the Premier League remains as the only piece of silverware they can compete for in Arne Slot's inaugural season.
Despite being comfortably ahead in the Premier League table - 12 points clear of second-placed Arsenal with nine games left - club legend Jamie Carragher believes these cup competition defeats could seriously impact Salah and Van Dijk's contract talks.
Contract talks
Both key players' contracts with Liverpool are due to expire this summer, allowing them to enter discussions with overseas clubs until the end of the season. After this point, they will become free agents, able to sign with any club without Liverpool receiving any compensation.
Carragher shared his apprehensions about these developments on his podcast 'It’s Called Soccer!'. He suggested that while initially Salah and Van Dijk had an upper hand due to their trophy pursuits; now it seems like the club holds more leverage in contract negotiations following recent losses.
Jamie Carragher, Liverpool legend, said:
"You know what worries me, not from their point of view, more from a club's point of view - I mean, Van Dijk and Salah have almost come out and said they want to stay now, of course they do. I mean listen - Mo Salah's been saying he hasn't been offered contracts hasn't he? What he's basically saying is 'if someone puts a contract in or it if they match my terms then I'll sign'. But what those terms are we don't know.
"My feeling and my worry is it kept feeling like Mo Salah and Van Dijk were winning the PR battle because Liverpool is top of the league, had won every game in the Champions League, there was talk about trebles. I hope this isn't the case, but maybe the people of the club are going, 'Is this a little sign of things to come in the future? Is this Salah being off form or is this the is this the future of Salah' - and if they don't win as much are they in a stronger bargaining position to say 'We want more'?".
"I don't know what they're asking for, but are the club now right to say, 'Hang on, we think you are only worth this [amount]. I mean you've [almost] won the league, we haven't won the Champions League, we haven't done that, you haven't won the Ballon d'Or'. I was actually thinking, I think this means the club are maybe not going to shift the goal posts at all, maybe only slightly, if you end up winning the league."
Encouraging sign amidst disappointments?
Even though disappointment lingers from both Carabao Cup loss and Champions League exit, neither Salah nor Van Dijk have voiced any stance on their contract situations yet. This silence may hint at an encouraging sign amidst the recent disappointments.
Liverpool's recent losses could potentially influence the future of two of their key players - Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk. While it remains to be seen how these events will impact their contract negotiations, fans and sports betting enthusiasts alike will be keenly watching for any developments in this regard.
