Premier League leaders Liverpool know what it will take for them to end the season as champions but there is also the not-so-insignificant matter of some expiring contracts
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Arne Slot during the Carabao Cup final
Arne Slot and Liverpool have a huge few months ahead of them(Image: Kieran McManus/REX/Shutterstock)
With nine Premier League matchdays remaining, Liverpool know full well what they need to do. However, Arne Slot's side have some matters to take care of off the pitch as well as on it.
A pair of defeats just before the international break has simplified the Reds' task, albeit not in a way they would have liked. After Paris Saint-Germain ended their Champions League hopes, Slot's team were beaten by Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final.
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That leaves the Premier League as the one remaining trophy in their sights. They remain firm favourites, though, returning from the break with a 12-point lead over challengers Arsenal.
Regardless of how the season finishes, we'll soon have an answer on the future of three senior Liverpool stars. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk are all out of contract in the summer, and none of the three have confirmed whether they're extending their stay or leaving on a free.
With other transfer deals to consider, it will be a busy few months on and off the pitch. Here, Mirror Football takes a closer look at the best-case and worst-case scenarios.
READ MORE: Premier League clubs in talks over major change to 2025 summer transfer windowREAD MORE: Liverpool and Man Utd on red alert as top defender target makes transfer U-turn
Dream end
First things first, we shouldn't overlook how significant a title win would be just because of the other setbacks. If Liverpool get the job done, it would be their first league title in five years and just their second in the Premier League era.
Not just that, it would represent a dream start for Arne Slot. The Dutch manager is just 12 points shy of Jurgen Klopp's final-season return, despite barely making any changes to the squad.
Mohamed Salah and Arne Slot during Bournemouth vs Liverpool
Liverpool have opened up a huge Premier League lead
Victory in the Merseyside Derby on April 2 ought to help Liverpool put the double cup disappointment behind them. It's easy to forget Slot's men have lost just once in the league all season, but they can't afford to take their foot off the gas.
Slot will also hope to welcome back some injured stars before the end of the season. Alisson and Ryan Gravenberch are both in contention to feature against Everton despite scares, while Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley and Trent Alexander-Arnold have a little longer on the sidelines.
Speaking of Alexander-Arnold, the right-back is one of three big-hitters whose future still needs to be decided. While he looks less likely than Salah and Van Dijk to stick around, there is still a chance all three sign new deals.
A Liverpool fan banner calling for contract extensions for Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold
Liverpool fans have made clear what they want to happen with their out of contract stars
Another new signing is already on the way, with Giorgi Mamardashvili on his way in the summer. By the time the Georgia goalkeeper arrives, things may well be looking up once more.
Indeed, progress has also been made in other areas. A new left-back in the form of Milos Kerkez to go along with all that other positive news? That certainly sounds like the dream.
Nightmare end
Mohamed Salah during the Carabao Cup final
We still don't know where Mohamed Salah will be playing next season(Image: Kieran McManus/REX/Shutterstock)
Let's start with those contracts. Losing Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold in the same window would be a painful blow in any circumstances, let alone one where the club receives no money for any of them.
A triple exit would force Liverpool's transfer chiefs into rapid action, and the quiet progress in the summer of 2024 isn't exactly cause for optimism. The Reds will no doubt have explored options at right-back, centre-back and attack but getting those deals over the line is another matter.
What's more, Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk and Salah aren't the only stars linked with exits. There has been interest in first-choice keeper Alisson, while the Reds may be forced to entertain offers for Ibrahima Konate if he enters the final year of his contract with no progress.
Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah in Liverpool action
Van Dijk and Salah could end up leaving in the same window(Image: Kieran McManus/REX/Shutterstock)
Failure to win the Premier League title, meanwhile, doesn't bear thinking about. Manchester United were 11 points clear at this stage of their collapse in 1998, compared to 12 for Liverpool this term, but Arsenal had multiple games in hand during that 1998 comeback.
“I know how it works,” Slot said in a new book. “If you don’t pick up trophies as a manager or as a player, it can haunt you for decades.
“There are different ways to be remembered. Look at the Holland team in the 1974 World Cup. Everyone saw that World Cup as the tournament where Holland came out as winners. But they didn’t come home with the cup. It was about their style of play."
Even if Arsenal win all nine of their games, a return of 16 points from nine outings would be enough for Liverpool. If they fail to do that then it could take them years to recover.
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