Alexander-Arnold, Salah or Van Dijk?

tentan

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Around the 11 minute mark they discuss if they could only keep one player who would it be

All 3 of them are without a contract for next season, just wondering what the cafe opinions are about who's most important for them?

Alexander-Arnold -
FOR - Age, youngest of the three. One of the best RBs in the world
AGAINST - Could Liverpool still win games without him? Probably

Salah
FOR - Goals, One of the best players in the world
AGAINST - Age, who knows how long he has left at the top. Could Liverpool still score goals without him? Maybe

Van Dijk
FOR - Leader, Experience and world class defender
AGAINST - Age, just like Salah, who knows how long he has left at the top. Declined slightly maybe?


For me it has to be Van Dijk.
 
Salah, Trent and then VVD for me.

I'm resigned to losing Trent, so that's maybe preventing me going with him as first choice as on pure longevity alone he clearly wins.
 
Even if Old, keeping VVD and Salah it's more vital for Liverpool than Trent, who can be easier to replace even with another type of player.
Also they would grab a lot of bucks for his transfer right now.
 
Salah currently.

Before Van Dijk's injury, this would be closer, but I think Salah is clearly their most important player now.
 
Fobal said:
Even if Old, keeping VVD and Salah it's more vital for Liverpool than Trent, who can be easier to replace even with another type of player.
Also they would grab a lot of bucks for his transfer right now.
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All 3 have a contract that expires in the summer. There aren't any big bucks to be had for any of them.
 
Even with the age advantage, it has to be either Salah or van Dijk. And it feels like Salah in the current form will be the hardest one to replace even though both are hardly replaceable, realistically.

As a con against Salah — it's easier to imagine him deteriorating quickly than van Dijk, attacking players' performance level often drop significantly once their age actually catches up with them.
 
DennisReynolds said:
All 3 have a contract that expires in the summer. There aren't any big bucks to be had for any of them.
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That's always sthg that can be fix, you've got the gist, Trent clearly is the one that potentially can grab more bucks if they come to some sort of arrangement.
 
Salah and it's not even close.

Conor Bradley could probably step in for Arnold well enough and, while they would miss Van Dijk, he's down a few levels from where he was. Salah wins them matches pretty regularly.
 
didz said:
Salah and it's not even close.

Conor Bradley could probably step in for Arnold well enough and, while they would miss Van Dijk, he's down a few levels from where he was. Salah wins them matches pretty regularly.
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The Ducth it's not just his age or current level (that BTW it's great), it's his intelligence, like I've said tons of times by now, Liverpool isn't precisly full of actually calm, collected, clever and intelligent players. They have many great ones, but they do tend to act on impulse most of times. They need that Leadership and control
 
Fobal said:
That's always sthg that can be fix, you've got the gist, Trent clearly is the one that potentially can grab more bucks if they come to some sort of arrangement.
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It was the "right now" part I took issue with.

If you're saying that extending Trent gives the bigger potential future sale then I agree, that's definitely a huge pro in his favour.
 
DennisReynolds said:
It was the "right now" part I took issue with.

If you're saying that extending Trent gives the bigger potential future sale then I agree, that's definitely a huge pro in his favour.
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Exactly that
 
Van Dijk. Salah's the best player in the world, but Van Dijk is the bedrock for their whole system.
 
Gio said:
Van Dijk. Salah's the best player in the world, but Van Dijk is the bedrock for their whole system.
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More to the point I think he'd be harder to replace right now. Don't see any available great CB in the market with both his leadership and quality on the ball

Salah, you can probably replace with a couple expensive signings - Haaland and Wirtz, for example
 
Both Salah and Van Dijk are playing at an amazing level and currently much more important than Trent. But people underestimate how tough the PL is on older players and how quickly you can fall off.

Almost all of the greatest PL CBs played at a high level in their early 30s then were washed or retired by 35 - Terry, Rio, Campbell, Adams, etc. VVD is 34 next summer.

No PL wide player has ever had a season like Salah’s at age 32+. Maybe he just defied all odds for another couple of seasons, but maybe age catches up fast.

A bet on either one is basically a bet on the unprecedented within the PL
 
With Salah you could win the league again next season. That's worth finding a new CB and RB for. There's a reason players like Salah cost the most money and get paid the most money.
 
Powderfinger said:
Both Salah and Van Dijk are playing at an amazing level and currently much more important than Trent. But people underestimate how tough the PL is on older players and how quickly you can fall off.

Almost all of the greatest PL CBs played at a high level in their early 30s then were washed or retired by 35 - Terry, Rio, Campbell, Adams, etc. VVD is 34 next summer.

No PL wide player has ever had a season like Salah’s at age 32+. Maybe he just defied all odds for another couple of seasons, but maybe age catches up fast.

A bet on either one is basically a bet on the unprecedented within the PL
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There's more examples of CBs going on at a high level for longer. In recent times you have the likes of Thiago Silva and Pepe playing in the Champions League in their 40s.

I'd wager Salah will bow out of the top level before VVD does, despite being a year younger.
 
Alexander-Arnold, because he's 26 years old and the other two can drop off at any point.
 
I'm taking the old heads before Trent. Between those two is tougher, but I'm gonna go with the flashier numbers of Salah.
 
Powderfinger said:
Both Salah and Van Dijk are playing at an amazing level and currently much more important than Trent. But people underestimate how tough the PL is on older players and how quickly you can fall off.

Almost all of the greatest PL CBs played at a high level in their early 30s then were washed or retired by 35 - Terry, Rio, Campbell, Adams, etc. VVD is 34 next summer.

No PL wide player has ever had a season like Salah’s at age 32+. Maybe he just defied all odds for another couple of seasons, but maybe age catches up fast.

A bet on either one is basically a bet on the unprecedented within the PL
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Yet the characateristics, maturity and status from the oldies, right now, must be protected due to the atributes and tendencies from the great majority of the squad till other players are bought or some of them mature better.
Trent as gifted as he can be, isn't a player that Liverpool can't replace right now or in the future. Virgil? will take some serious bucks and snatching a proven CB from another important club, same for Salah, or betting on the hottest prospect in the world at that moment. In the menatime Trent if they arrange their contract to actually receive sthg, can bring lots of money to rebuild the team in those two vital areas.I think it's more worthy to try this path with its risks, than betting on Trent (that actually also might be wanting to move with so many rumours) becoming the Talisman of Pool, more when we take in account his RB role, as important and vital as it can be for some systems.
 
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I'm not sure where this notion comes from that Trent is not irreplaceable for Liverpool? I guess many of you must not understand what he does for their team and how there's probably not a single right-back out there who can replicate that.
 
Rojofiam said:
I'm not sure where this notion comes from that Trent is not irreplaceable for Liverpool? I guess many of you must not understand what he does for their team and how there's probably not a single right-back out there who can replicate that.
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It comes from actually witness Liverpool playing without him and the healthy ammount of subs they have to try different types of tactics and strategies. Does this mean that they will have a copycat of him? or someone close in style? nope. And also that Trent has his way of doing things that leaving his quality aside, have been disruptive not in the best of ways for Pool as a team in some ocassions, while the other two just become a problem when they are not in form.
They can cope better right now without him if he goes, if he stays, cool too.

On the other hand, If Pool actually can get huge bucks for Salah and Virgil, might open the door to a BET on some high profile bet with an established mature CB (or very very promising young one) and a extremely promising and already with some pedigree support strtiker with goals, yet that seems less plausible right now.
 
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Rojofiam said:
I'm not sure where this notion comes from that Trent is not irreplaceable for Liverpool? I guess many of you must not understand what he does for their team and how there's probably not a single right-back out there who can replicate that.
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If he were as reliable as the other two, I'd pick him. I don't mean defensively per se, just overall performance.

His top level is game defining, but I don't think we get it as often as we do from the other two.
 
duffer said:
There's more examples of CBs going on at a high level for longer. In recent times you have the likes of Thiago Silva and Pepe playing in the Champions League in their 40s.

I'd wager Salah will bow out of the top level before VVD does, despite being a year younger.
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Thiago Silva is the exception to the rule in the PL and he had a few things going for him - a whole career played in less intense leagues, a three man defensive system under Tuchel in his firtst couple years that helped hide his declining athleticism - that Van Dijk does not.

I wouldn't rule out Van Dijk (or Salah) defying history and playing at a top level for 2-3 more years. World class players do exceptional things. But its a huge gamble. The end really does come fast for players around this age in many cases and its easy to get blinded by current form. Rio Ferdinand was world class in 12-13 around age 33/34 and made the team of the season. He never had another top level year. As you know, it was more or less the same with Terry in 14-15 at similar age 33/34, absolute class performer and team of the season and then it all fell apart quickly.
 
Salah easily. VVD is already regressing, I still remember how quickly Rio and Vidic fell off a cliff once age catched up.
 
B20 said:
If he were as reliable as the other two, I'd pick him. I don't mean defensively per se, just overall performance.

His top level is game defining, but I don't think we get it as often as we do from the other two.
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He's no worse than Salah.

Both of them disappear for long stretches of the game and suddenly pop up with an incredible moment. But Salah obviously gets the headlines because he's puts the finishing touches on the move, and Trent gets pelters because a mistake from him means a goal scoring chance for the opposition.

Trent seems to get quite a bit of disrespect in these discussions. Probably also why he doesn't have a problem leaving. He senses that he's not loved anywhere near these two despite being a local lad who's won everything there is to win with the club.
 
erikcred said:
He's no worse than Salah.

Both of them disappear for long stretches of the game and suddenly pop up with an incredible moment. But Salah obviously gets the headlines because he's puts the finishing touches on the move, and Trent gets pelters because a mistake from him means a goal scoring chance for the opposition.

Trent seems to get quite a bit of disrespect in these discussions. Probably also why he doesn't have a problem leaving. He senses that he's not loved anywhere near these two despite being a local lad who's won everything there is to win with the club.
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It's true that Salah does not make the best decisions always, that he isn't also the more reliable finisher, that he looses the ball quite a lot. Yet at the same time? he is a player that tends to participate, I do not agree in the disappearing thing as a tardemark of Moh. He offers himself time and again with space, tries to do his thing and to not get extremely frustrated when it doesn't happen (vital aspect that came with his maturity) so that ends many times with an extraordinary goal in a not that extraordiary game like the last one, plus providing a great pre assist to Macca in Curtis goal. The man tends to produce, tends to the very least bother and him being upfront apart from that day that he might not provide any number with some fvck up (like any player has, ANY, from Pele to Messi) tend to not be as detrimental as when Trent has his days or moments off, or an annoying Bruno hollywoodesque day, that BTW, I feel are a lot more scarse these days than in other periods.

Trent more than probably might be tired of the whole press annoying "can't defend" also the Real rumours can be tempting as hell and might feel that a change of fresh air can be a great reset.
 
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Fobal said:
It comes from actually witness Liverpool playing without him and the healthy ammount of subs they have to try different types of tactics and strategies. Does this mean that they will have a copycat of him? or someone close in style? nope. And also that Trent has his way of doing things that leaving his quality aside, have been disruptive not in the best of ways for Pool as a team in some ocassions, while the other two just become a problem when they are not in form.
They can cope better right now without him if he goes, if he stays, cool too.

On the other hand, If Pool actually can get huge bucks for Salah and Virgil, might open the door to a BET on some high profile bet with an established mature CB (or very very promising young one) and a extremely promising and already with some pedigree support strtiker with goals, yet that seems less plausible right now.
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I see. How has Trent been disruptive to Liverpool? I'm curious if you could elaborate on that.

B20 said:
If he were as reliable as the other two, I'd pick him. I don't mean defensively per se, just overall performance.

His top level is game defining, but I don't think we get it as often as we do from the other two.
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I think he's Liverpool's main source of creativity, and they'd have to reorganize many team dynamics if they lost Trent permanently. Salah's game would suffer from it too IMO.
 
VivaJesperBlomqvist said:
Why the feck are they not moving heaven and earth to keep all three? This is so weird
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Because players have certain demands, especially all-time greats who have done a lot for their club already. But if you look at it from the club's perspective, the inevitable decline is coming for both van Dijk and Salah.

What if you cave in and you give both players a multi-year contract with a salary bump as well, and then they both become washed up at the same time, maybe as early as into next season? You'll have two players in their 30s with astronomical wages, not contributing nearly enough, if that happens.

Similar to how we had Ronaldo and De Gea on 515k and 375k per week respectively, or how we currently employ Casemiro for 350k per week. I could include Varane at 340k too if I was being harsh. I think Liverpool will want to avoid a scenario like this, especially when they aren't as rich as United.
 
Rojofiam said:
I see. How has Trent been disruptive to Liverpool? I'm curious if you could elaborate on that.



I think he's Liverpool's main source of creativity, and they'd have to reorganize many team dynamics if they lost Trent permanently. Salah's game would suffer from it too IMO.
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Last year for isntance they didn't have him for a long stretch and the team was playing really great, so he can be "replaced", yet not with another Trent.

Trent sometimes can be a double edge sword, when he is on his more Brunesque days trying the ultimate hollywood ball too much, when he tends to drift without a more clever pattern (and sometimes this neglects some defesive task asigned), he can be disruptive not on the best way (as he can be of course in the good side of the coin).

Liverpool BTW can try to seek for someone else mostly purely focus in the offensive/control department (with some dribbling/passing and more pause in him, it's a pitty for them that they could never have Alcantara filling that role due to his injuries) to add an extra quote of creativity these days with Macca coming from so deep with many defensive tasks involved and Slobo/Curtis/Trent/Diaz, etc also being players prone to the momentum, to the flashy attempt than those combine with a more methodic approach, that anyway Arne demands from them, they rarely loose their shape thse days like with Jurgen.
Arne has made them quite a more pragmatic block and Trent has been a lot less expose if he tries something fancy and that's great to relief him from an unnecessary burden and helps him to show his best side more often, they are a ver compact team, with many polivalent fellas.
 
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