SLOT RUTHLESS ENOUGH

Boss Arne missed a trick by not offoading post-peak Van Dijk and Salah

- patdolan

Liverpool pair Virgil van Dijk (left) and Virgil van Dijk when they played hard ball over signing their latest contract.

FORGET about Florian Wirtz. He was a dream signing.

He is only 22 years old and has already won a league title in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen as well as a German Cup

He is not the problem at Liverpool.

People need to look at Captain 'Not so' Fantastic Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah.

Here is why.

Last season was so memorable for Liverpool.

For Arne Slot to dominate the league and win a title in his first season was a miracle.

But let's recall something else.

It was memorable for the wrong reasons.

So much of the feelgood factor and title success was overshadowed by the fact Liverpool's two best players, their Dutch captain and their Egyptian top scorer, took an absolute eternity to sign new contracts.

That is not healthy. It is not positive.

Nor is it good.

After they both signed the contracts at an extraordinary cost to the club, some might have been fooled by their PR.

But not me.

I just can't see how you can fall back in love with The Reds AFTER you sign a new deal.

For me, those contract sagas were tawdry.

And I am not sure it was good business for Liverpool.

Van Dijk will be 35 on his next birthday and the next time Mo Salah blows out candles on his birthday cake, there will be 34 of them to extinguish.