The contracts of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, and Mohamed Salah are all scheduled to expire this summer, and Liverpool will not let feelings influence their discussions.
John W. Henry has benefited greatly from Moneyball throughout the years. Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland A’s baseball team, devised the fundamental hypothesis after using data analysis to uncover a galaxy of pitchers and sluggers whose stats indicated they had enormous reserves of unrealised potential.
Henry, who amassed his wealth by doing financial calculations, adopted Beane’s strategies as the Boston Red Sox’s owner and put an end to the team’s 86-year World Series drought. Before Henry’s Fenway Sports Group saved them from bankruptcy, Liverpool was another great ball club with a fantastic history but a very uncertain future. Since 2010, the 75-year-old billionaire has been instilling the philosophy of football and has been accomplishing remarkable things at Liverpool.
For the past seven seasons, Liverpool has returned to the top of the football world, and they are about to win their second Premier League championship and tie Manchester United’s record of 21 consecutive English titles. However, Liverpool risk losing three of the best players from this or any previous Anfield generation in what has turned into THE contract controversy of the season.
In the summer, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, and Mohamed Salah are free to leave for nothing. And it doesn’t look good for a team that takes pleasure in doing these things correctly that Liverpool has allowed this perfect storm to develop with such vigour.
But Salah is 33 in June, a month before Van Dijk celebrates his 34th birthday. because while both players have experienced excellent seasons, the stats simply don’t stack up as far as FSG are concerned – because Henry and his squad are strong on numbers.
All parties have been silent about the real negotiations, so it’s unknown if the Premier League’s top forward and defender are asking for too much money, too many years, or both. Raheem Sterling’s demands for £100,000 per week were leaked by Liverpool ten years ago, but it didn’t stop the England winger from achieving his goal of joining Manchester City.
However, Sterling ended up becoming a hate figure on the Kop as a result. Liverpool has taken care to avoid making the same mistake of attempting to exert further pressure on their dissident trio by using the influence of public opinion.
However, just take a look at the response when it was announced last week that Real Madrid thought they had a deal in place to sign Alexander-Arnold. Mr. Outraged from Old Swan quickly demanded that the team’s Scouser be sent to the sidelines for the remainder of the season. All the while, Arne Slot’s team is getting closer to winning the championship.
In the end, it is the duty of all three players to act in their own best interests. When Madrid called in January, Liverpool had the opportunity to secure a consolation £20 million for Alexander-Arnold. To their credit, they determined that keeping him would be more beneficial because they were vying for a rare quadruple. Once more, the numbers were the focus.
It appears like Van Dijk and Salah have a lot further to go. The idea that they will be any different the following season seems ludicrous. However, Manchester City formerly held the same belief about Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, and Kevin De Bruyne.
Over the years, Liverpool has demonstrated that no one is irreplaceable. Not Steven Gerrard, Luis Suarez, Philippe Coutinho, Michael Owen, Fernando Torres, or even Steve McManaman. This summer is different because they might lose three top names at once.
FSG will undoubtedly have completed their calculations.
