Salah and Van Dijk Stay, What Does It Mean for Liverpool?

How thrilling it feels to be a Liverpool fan. The three most important players of "The Reds," namely Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, were once feared to leave at the end of the season when their contracts expired. Fortunately, the worst-case scenario did not occur.

Salah officially decided to extend his contract for two years at Liverpool on Friday (11/4/2025). Van Dijk is reportedly set to follow with a contract extension of the same duration. Only Alexander-Arnold is almost certain to leave in the upcoming summer.

Salah will turn 33 in mid-June, while Van Dijk will reach 34 about a month after that. Such ages are not young at all for star players in the English Premier League. This is also what caused Liverpool's management to face a dilemma regarding contract extensions.

However, the club has no choice. The three players whose contracts are about to expire, including Alexander-Arnold, have played a very crucial role in the team's success this season. "The risk of extending their contracts (Salah and Van Dijk) is smaller compared to seeing them leave," said renowned journalist David Ornstein in The Athletic FC podcast.

Imagine if a record label lost its three biggest singers at once—what would they have left to sell? The same applies to Liverpool. "The Reds" will struggle to maintain their achievements next season without their best players. Head coach Arne Slot might be forced to return to the rebuilding phase.

Salah may be approaching retirement age, but his productivity is soaring. He has already scored 27 goals and provided 17 assists in the domestic league. This total goal involvement is the highest in the English Premier League as well as across the top five leagues in Europe. If one had to choose the most important player for Liverpool this season, Salah would be at the top of the list.

Van Dijk, the team captain, is no less important. He and Salah are two of the three players who have started in all of Liverpool's league matches (31 times). In terms of playing minutes, no one can surpass Van Dijk's record (2,790 minutes).

The Dutch national team defender is the main reason Liverpool has only lost twice in the league this season. Van Dijk leads the defensive line amidst the inconsistency of other defenders' performances and injury problems. His presence seems to intimidate opposing strikers.

It is only natural that Slot is very happy even though the contract extension is very close to the end of the season. For him, Liverpool is heading in the right direction. "(The extension) provides a positive atmosphere. It also shows how ambitious this club is," said Slot.

Liverpool will continue the momentum to achieve at the highest level next season. All of that is easier with Salah and Van Dijk. However, there is something important that must be prepared immediately in the next two years. They must immediately find successors for both players.

Salah and Van Dijk are indeed still at the peak of their performance. However, no one knows when that performance will decline with their age no longer young. Slot needs to immediately orbit new stars, before they really leave.

The best lesson can be taken from Liverpool's rival team, Manchester City. City's performance is very bad this season because it is too late to regenerate. Manager Josep Guardiola trusts veteran players too much, such as Kevin De Bruyne (33), Kyle Walker (34), and Ilkay Gundogan (34).

Trust in players is justified, but regeneration is also mandatory. Players have an age limit. That is reflected in the story of City's stars. The problem is, Guardiola only panicked to find a successor in the January transfer window, when other players had declined drastically. The transition of the star replacement failed completely.

Slot intends to make the transition smoother over the next two years. One of them is by "selling" Salah's name to attract new stars in the transfer market. "If I were in the position of the player we want to bring in, I would definitely be happy to see Mo extend his contract," he said.

The biggest overhaul needs to be done in the back and front lines. Because, no one can match the role of Salah and Van Dijk in both lines. They need a quality partner and a successor starting next season. The summer transfer window will also be very crucial for Liverpool.

As a result, the next two years are not a deadline for Liverpool to achieve. It is a transition time that will determine the future of the club, so as not to experience too much turbulence when it has to part with Van Dijk and Salah. (AP/REUTERS)