Liverpool are approaching the winter transfer window in a strong position. They sit at the summit of the Premier League table and do not believe that they need reinforcements to sustain a title challenge in the latter half of the season. However, they are prepared to act if a long-term target becomes available.
Richard Hughes has his hands full as his recruitment team continue to assess players and are considering what to do in the January transfer window.
They do not want to spend heavily as they are looking at next summer to do the bulk of their business. However, the Reds also want to be flexible if a player of interest becomes available in the January transfer window.
Liverpool have been linked with several players and there are suggestions that the Reds are considering doing a double deal to sign Milos Kerkez and Martin Zubimendi when the window opens in January.
However, experienced football observer Mick Brown insisted that the club’s priority in the winter window is likely to be very different to what everyone is expecting them to do.
Not new players but securing the older ones will be the priority – Mick Brown
Liverpool fans are clamouring for new signings as most fanbases across the country but Brown stressed that securing the three stalwarts on new deals is more important.
The Reds have been in talks with Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold to work out a new contract with each of the three players.
Van Dijk is expected to sign a new deal but negotiations with Salah and Alexander-Arnold have been much more complicated and the two sagas could go either way.
Can you name the team Liverpool sold these players to?
Brown stressed that the new deals for these three players are the biggest issues at Liverpool at the moment as their future plans depend on them.
While fans could demand new signings, he believes Liverpool’s priority will be to ensure that the three players sign new contracts with the club in January.
“Their biggest problem is the three out-of-contract players”, Brown told Football Insider.
“From January, they can sign for whoever they want, and that’s a major problem for Liverpool.
“That’ll be their priority in the transfer window before they can even think about trying to bring in reinforcements and adding to their squad.
“How much money would it cost them to replace Salah? Or Van Dijk? It would be a big chunk of their budget, that’s for sure.
“The people making these decisions will get together with the agents and thrash out a deal.
“If they can get them tied down to new deals, that’ll give everybody at the club a real lift and help them to kick on and push for the title.
“At the moment, it’s a bit of a dampener because even when they win there’s all of this speculation going on in the background.
“So when it comes to the January window and strengthening their squad to push for the title, the best thing they could do is to secure these new contracts.”
Is it the right thing to do?
Van Dijk, Salah and Alexander-Arnold are the pillars of the team. While there is always a chance one of them could leave, the club must push to keep all three at the club. Losing any one of them would be a blow but all three of them walking out would be a crisis.
Liverpool are sailing smoothly at the moment and if the club are not planning to sign anyone in the winter window, they definitely know more about their squad than most fans do.
The Reds are aware that replacing any of the aforementioned players next summer would be expensive and there is no guarantee that they would find the required quality.
It is also important to stress their importance inside the dressing room. Van Dijk is the leader of the team, Salah is the talisman and Alexander-Arnold has been touted as the future captain. Can they replace those attributes? Do not think so.
If Liverpool prioritise sorting out the contracts of these three players over shiny new signings in Janaury, it would be the right thing to do.
