Contract sagas of Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold act as a sideshow Slot does not deserve

Arne Slot dealt with the latest round of questions concerning Liverpool contract extensions, or lack of them, in his usual relaxed, affable manner at West Ham on Sunday.

- Andy Hunter

Arne Slot dealt with the latest round of questions concerning Liverpool contract extensions, or lack of them, in his usual relaxed, affable manner at West Ham on Sunday. No distractions from the pursuit of the Premier League title, was the gist of his message, along with no firm updates on the Anfield futures of Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk. It was always thus. Privately, however, Slot could be forgiven for feeling irritated and asking pertinent questions of his own about how Liverpool allowed this unnecessary sideshow to develop.

No distractions? Liverpool maintained their almost flawless title challenge with a 5-0 away win and both Slot and Salah were, inevitably, asked for contract updates after the game. Alexander-Arnold appeared to reference the talk over a possible move to Real Madrid with his goal celebration during it. Slot is correct in his assertion that internally and out on the pitch, where it matters most, the uncertainty has not distracted Liverpool from their primary objective.

Given the outstanding form of the three players in question, it could be argued the prospect of being out of contract at the end of this season has had a galvanising effect. But that is not to make a positive out of a saga that has too often detracted from Slot's outstanding debut season.