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News
- 12 hours ago
Liverpool need to avoid Man City-style disaster after new Salah and Van Dijk deals
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 11 Apr 2025 10:06 CDT
- 4 min read
Analysis
Liverpool are rightly elated that Mohamed Salah has signed a new contract with the club and that Virgil van Dijk will follow.
The Reds announced a new contract for the Egypt international on Friday, while it appears only a matter of time before the Dutchman follows suit. Both will remain on Merseyside until 2027.
Compared
Virgil van Dijk
D (C)
Liverpool
Virgil van Dijk
D (C)
Liverpool
VS
Mohamed Salah
M (R)
Liverpool
Mohamed Salah
M (R)
Liverpool
|
|
ETV |
|
| €15M - €18.3M | ETV Range | €16.5M - €20.1M |
| 33 years old (08 Jul, 1991) | Age | 32 years old (15 Jun, 1992) |
|
Netherlands
|
Nationality |
Egypt
|
Salah and Van Dijk have been standout players in the Premier League this season and are two of the major reasons why Arne Slot is set to win the title at his first attempt. Indeed, there’s a strong argument that Salah is currently producing the greatest top-flight season of the modern era.
But anyone who’s been paying attention this season knows that Liverpool now need to be careful.
Liverpool can't fall into Man City trap
Manchester City’s demise this season has been as rapid as it has spectacular. From an all-conquering team just a matter of months ago, Pep Guardiola’s side are struggling even to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
While there are many reasons behind the demise of the champions, one of the major issues that City have suffered from has been an aging core of players whose form has rapidly collapsed.
Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan are not the players they once were, which combined with a serious injury to Ballon d’Or winner Rodri and an overreliance on Erling Haaland for goals has left City scrambling.
It is the case of the Belgian that should be considered most concerning for Liverpool, given Salah (32) and Van Dijk (33) are of a similar age and similar importance to the team.
De Bruyne is one of the greatest creative forces the Premier League has ever known, yet after 67 assists in the previous five seasons, he has just six this term.
His case, of course, is slightly different to Salah’s. KDB has suffered from injury issues that the African star has not, yet even last season he produced 10 assists in 1228 minutes of action.
Salah, meanwhile, remains around his peak. But the point remains: great players can tail off very quickly once past their peak. Just look at Cristiano Ronaldo.
Reds must capitalise on strong position
Liverpool, of course, would have been crazy to allow Salah to leave for nothing after the season he’s had, but what the case of Manchester City should teach the Anfield club is that it is essential the squad is prepared for the post-Mo and VVD era.
That means a succession plan has to be put in place immediately and the Reds’ offensive reliance on Salah eased.
Other areas of the squad need to be strengthened to mitigate for a time when the veteran superstars are no longer so strong. That spells bad news for Andy Robertson, who is likely to be one player that Liverpool need to move on. Those in their late 20s who are not performing are also in trouble: Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota, in particular.
One saving grace for the Reds is that no major overhaul is required in their engine room, thanks to the signing of a brand new midfield in the summer of 2023.
But Federico Chiesa was Liverpool’s only major signing last summer, and while a deal for Giorgi Mamardashvili is in place, the Reds need to ensure they don’t sleepwalk into a situation where they wind up with a squad packed with expensive stars past their best.
Sporting director Richard Hughes has done the easy bit by securing the future of Salah and Van Dijk, but while the foundations of the next two years are in place, he needs to ensure that Liverpool have a squad who can do them justice – even when the inevitable decline kicks in.
