Rumours fly at Liverpool before Arne Slot laughs off question he knew was coming

Paul Gorst was at Liverpool's training ground for Arne Slot's pre-Chelsea press conference

Rumours fly at Liverpool training ground before Arne Slot laughs off question he knew was coming

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The intensity of the speculation surrounding the long-term futures of Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool was neatly summed up on a cold morning at the AXA Training Centre on Friday.

After messaging around an unrelated off-field issue from Liverpool was decided to be pushed back until Monday, over what was loosely and informally described as ‘some football stuff’ that was instead being lined up to go out Friday, the intrigue piqued as reporters filed into the club’s Kirkby training base for Arne Slot’s 9am press conference to preview Sunday’s visit from Chelsea.

In a break from the custom, members of the media were instructed on where to park at the entrance of the Under-21s end of the base after being told that the day was expected to be particularly busy for reasons that wouldn’t be divulged.

Tongues, inevitably among a smattering of journalists, started wagging. Was the venue busier than usual because of some major announcement? Was ‘some football stuff’ in fact the public unveiling of a brand new contract for one of the Reds’ key men?

The truth, sadly for many supporters, was rather more ordinary. Friday was in fact ‘partners day’ at the £50m base, meaning the club‘s ever-expanding portfolio of organisations they work with were being invited down to speak to the great and the good of the football club they pay fortunes to be associated with.

The festivities were stretched across both ‘the AXA’ - as it is informally known - and Anfield itself as the club opened its doors to the companies who have long-standing agreements in place to work with Liverpool.

One of them was thought to be AXA themselves after the French insurance company signed a new deal earlier this year that allows them to gain further access to the football operations side of things.

Meanwhile, Slot provided a rather more mundane update on the contract status of his main men, once more laughing off the question and pleading the fifth.

“What is happening is they were with the national teams - Trent scored a fantastic free-kick - so same questions, same answer,” Slot said when asked about the futures of Salah, Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk.

“There will always be talk about our players. It is a good thing you ask about it because it means they do really well. If they had played badly – let's not say shit this time – then you probably wouldn't have asked.

“It is a good thing that everyone wants their contracts renewed because that tells me – and I also see this - they do really well. But I cannot tell you anything about that at this place.

“[Alexander-Arnold] has been very good for us until now. He was, and is, still important in our attacking part of our game and I also like the way he has defended until now in the games he has played for us.

"He made a step up in that perspective but like for all the others there is always room for improvement, that is clear. He has done very well for us this season and he has done well for the national team as well as in four games he played he was three times man of the match.

"That's quite a good score. Let’s hope he is going to be man of the match for us once in a while as well - although I think Ibou Konate wants to be it!"

As long as the uncertainty continues, Slot can expect to be asked about it all in lieu of more revealing updates from sporting director Richard Hughes, whose job it is to get those deals over the line and not speak to the media before every game about such things.

Liverpool’s head coach, however, is not appearing like a man who is tired of being asked about this particular issue and the efforts of journalists attempting to glean some further insight into what is the key issue at the club just now are being batted away with consummate ease. It seems like it’s becoming a friendly joust that he is relishing, in fact.

Elsewhere the Reds boss, who returned from a short break on Tuesday, also provided an update on Van Dijk specifically after the club captain took the decision to return to Merseyside after he was sent off for Holland against Hungary and therefore suspended for the second fixture against Germany.

"He has been crucial for us," Slot said. "From what you guys see on the pitch, we all see how good he still is and how much he contributes to our offensive style.

"What you guys don't see and I do is how important he is in the sessions, he is loud, brings quality to it. What you see at the weekend, I see in the week and that is what you want to see. He is definitely our leader."

Criticism of Van Dijk from the media in his homeland was also laughed off by Slot, with the Liverpool coach putting that to being par for the course when you're a high-profile Netherlands captain and as reporters and fans alike continue to learn more and more about the new man at the helm, it's becoming increasingly clear that few issues or problems really get under his skin.

Just don't expect those contract questions to stop anytime soon.

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