Trent Alexander-Arnold's exit from Liverpool to Real Madrid could have somewhat of a positive impact on the club's ability to agree contract extensions with Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, Reds expert David Lynch has claimed.
Curtis Jones started as the team's right-back in place of Alexander-Arnold when the Merseysiders were beaten 3-2 by Fulham on April 6 in the Premier League, while Conor Bradley started on Sunday against West Ham.
Supporters may soon grow accustomed to the vice-captain's absence given he has been linked with a move to Spain, but some fans have speculated that his exit could allow the Reds to divert funds to Salah and Van Dijk, the former of whom has signed a new deal.
Lynch acknowledged that Liverpool would have more money available for contract negotiations, but he questioned whether the club would use the right-back's wages directly on Van Dijk or Salah, telling Sports Mole: "It certainly does free up more cash - if you're not having to pay Trent Alexander-Arnold, your first-choice right-back 300 grand a week, there's more money to play with.
"But Liverpool are so stringent in terms of how they do these things. They will have a set figure on what they want to pay Mohamed Salah and they won't have wanted to go far above that. Same with Virgil van Dijk, so it's not like, 'OK, now we can pay Salah 400 grand a week'. I don't think they'll approach this whole scenario in that way."
Salah will be 33 by the time 2025-26 begins, and the club are unlikely to have significantly increased his salary considering his performance levels could decline as he ages.
Will Liverpool get by with just Alexander-Arnold's departure?
Liverpool have lost three of their last five games in all competitions, with Alexander-Arnold playing just once in that time, but he was forced off the pitch due to an injury during his side's 1-0 loss against Paris Saint-Germain on March 11.
News of Salah's extension will have come as welcome relief to boss Arne Slot, while Van Dijk is also likely to sign a new deal and his extension would arguably secure the immediate future of the team's fortunes on the pitch.
Though losing Alexander-Arnold would be a blow, Lynch insisted to Sports Mole that the Reds would be able to get by with just one departure, saying: "If you take out a right-back of Trent's influence, you take out the best centre-half in the world and the best goalscorer in the Premier League, arguably the best player in the world, Mohamed Salah - I don't see how you can sign three new players [to replace them].
"[They would] have to come in, adapt immediately and stay at the same level [as the current three] at the start of next season, and it's very easy to start slowly, to lose enough ground that you can't make it up. We saw that with Arsenal. They made a bad start to the season and they've never recovered.
"The loss of all three or two of the three would have locked in that [bad start for Liverpool]. They would make a slow start to next season because of the upheaval. That's one of the reasons that will have motivated Liverpool to get these two done because if you want a competitive team for next season that's going to be there for the big honours, you have to have that continuity there. Locking two of the three down is absolutely massive."
Liverpool also have Conor Bradley in their ranks and could integrate him into the starting XI as the first-choice right-back, while there are no natural successors for Van Dijk or Salah.
© Imago
Why Van Dijk is likely to stay
In the aftermath of the team's 2-1 victory against West Ham, Van Dijk indicated that there could be news regarding his future in the coming week.
The Dutchman has repeatedly reiterated his desire to stay at Anfield, and given his love of the club, it would be surprising if the Reds failed to agree an extension with the defender.
Lynch argued that Van Dijk and Salah's extensions were always far more probable than the pair leaving when he told Sports Mole: "The key reason the other two are more likely to stay [than Alexander-Arnold], and it's the same reason I've always felt that way, is that they've publicly declared - they do so privately as well - that they are desperate to stay.
"Liverpool recognise that they can't replace them, so the idea that they would allow the amount of turnover of losing such an influential player in Trent and then to lose the other two as well, I can't see it. That confidence is still there behind the scenes that these two will get wrapped up quickly. I see no reason to doubt that at the moment."
Supporters know that two more wins will win the Premier League title, and perhaps fans will also be celebrating the news of Van Dijk's extension in the coming week.
Lewis Nolan
