Liverpool’s title rivals dropped points and David Ornstein unveiled a significant contract update for Mo Salah on Sunday.
All in all, there will be few, if any, complaints over how the weekend unfolded for the Reds, as Arsenal and Manchester City both picked up draws in their respective league ties.
Yes, the English top-flight’s dark horses in Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea proved once more they should be taken seriously in the title race with an impressive 4-3 comeback win over a hapless Tottenham outfit.
All involved would be well served keeping a close eye on developments at Stamford Bridge given that the Blues now sit four points behind Arne Slot’s Liverpool (who have a game in hand).
Contract talks are still going to ‘take time’
Liverpool's Mo Salah celebrates with his teammates.
(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Don’t expect our ongoing contract saga to be wrapped up any time soon.
The good news is that all three parties involved have officially received proposals, but David Ornstein has warned supporters that a resolution, unfortunately, isn’t close at hand.
“A resolution is expected to take time, which is far from ideal for Liverpool given Salah and Van Dijk – plus academy graduate Trent Alexander-Arnold – can sign a pre-contract agreement with foreign teams from January 1,” the journalist reported for The Athletic.
“But all three have now received proposals from the club and talks continue.”
This certainly refutes one prior claim from Salah’s compatriot, Haytham Farouk, asserting that the Egyptian international had already put pen to paper on a fresh deal.
Evidently, there is still plenty of ground to cover, even if the club has finally made a productive step forward in negotiations.
January 1 will be biggest test for Trent Alexander-Arnold
It’s perhaps presumptuous on our part, but the impression on offer thus far from the 32-year-old and Virgil van Dijk is very much of players committed to extending their stay at Anfield.
Even should initial proposals fail to meet expectations, Liverpool have at least extended the olive branch in turn and communicated their desire to see this relationship continue.
The waters get a little comparatively murky when talking about Trent Alexander-Arnold’s contract future.
Our No.66 has been nothing but a consummate professional as far as his performances on the pitch have been considered. Away from competitive action, however, there have at least been some concerning signals on show amid Real Madrid’s reported interest in his services. Not least of all the fullback’s pursuit of football’s most individualist award, the Ballon d’Or.
We suspect both Salah and our skipper would be keen to remain patient even should talks carry on beyond the January 1 deadline.
But would our vice-captain hold on and resist the allure of a potential pre-contract agreement with the La Liga giants and all that it could entail with his hunt for personal glory?
That remains to be seen.