The discussion around Liverpool selling Van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold, and Salah
Alyson Rudd for The Sunday Times:
All three players are iconic. Van Dijk brought an imperiousness to a flaky defence when he signed for Liverpool in January 2018. He was a missing piece in a promising jigsaw and promptly won eight trophies. Perhaps the League Cup win last February is not among the most fêted but Liverpool won thanks to his marshalling of a particularly young squad. Alexander-Arnold feels intertwined with the club and it is impossible to imagine him pulling on a different shirt. Salah brings a level of class that is unparalleled.
It could be that all three move on, that Slot believes his system can absorb their departures, that the hierarchy resists expensive extensions. Beloved players are always on the move, fans moan and then quickly become infatuated with someone else but in this instance it would rip the soul from the team and lend it an air of competent ordinariness.
That is when it gets scary; when you get emotionally attached. Sell them when they are at their peak would be my thinking.
Virgil at 33 years old is the most sellable of the three in my opinion due to his age. Trent Alexander-Arnold could be generational, that is a tough decision but he might have higher ambitions (Real Madrid). Mohamed Salah should be allowed to stay for as long as he wants.
That is my view as a neutral on the outside. I have no emotional attachment.