Liverpool won’t have concerns over the performances of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk next season with the former’s new contract having been announced and the latter’s expected to be confirmed imminently.
And TNT Sports pundits Ally McCoist and Joe Cole are in complete agreement about the importance of the pair remaining at Anfield — not just for Liverpool but for the Premier League as a whole. Both are near certain to start as the Reds take on West Ham United in the Premier League tomorrow.
“It’s good news for Liverpool and it’s good news for us,” McCoist said on TNT Sports. “In his period with Liverpool, he’s been one of the best players in the world — let’s be honest about it.
“From our point of view, it’s great news. I would imagine they might get more good news in the coming days as well, but he is one of the best — simple as that.”
“We’re losing Kevin De Bruyne and it is so important for us as a league to keep these top players,” former Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole added. “You have to remember, Vinicius, Bellingham, Mbappe, Yamal… they are all over in Spain.
“So we can’t lose our superstars. We get the chance to watch him every week and it is a real privilege.”
Salah and Van Dijk, alongside Ryan Gravenberch, are the only Liverpool players to have started every game in the Premier League this season. The duo have been mainstays under Arne Slot so far, with the Reds’ head coach delighted to see progress on extensions.
(Image: Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
“It’s the best league in the world bar none,” McCoist said. “For that, we have to keep the best players. I would expect — we’ve heard rumblings — that Van Dijk will sign for two years in the next couple of days as well.
“I actually don’t [have any concerns about their age]. You look at the condition of these boys, they are absolutely fantastic. It’s an understandable question to ask but I wouldn’t have any problems at all.”
Liverpool.com says: There is no evidence that either Salah or Van Dijk is about to decline in terms of their physical levels. Both players prepare themselves brilliantly and take every precaution with their bodies.
Even if either of them did see their impact reduce, they would still be right up there among the best players in the world. If Salah’s goals and assists output halved, for instance, he would still be Liverpool’s best attacker.
