Arne Slot piles PRESSURE on Richard Hughes to deliver over contract catastrophe

Liverpool’s impending contract catastrophe has been the talk of the season despite the Reds’ rise to the top of the Premier League and Champions League standings.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk are ALL out of contract at the end of the season and can begin talks with potentially interested overseas clubs from January 1.

READ MORE: The two Liverpool players who WILL leave in January

That deadline is rapidly approaching with no breakthrough in discussions with any of the aforementioned trio and the noise around the impasse is only growing louder.

Van Dijk put pressure on Fenway Sports Group and sporting director Richard Hughes earlier this week by declaring he can play at the highest level for another three or four years.

Salah, meanwhile, is known to favour an Anfield stay but it appears there are still plenty of issues to iron out before a new contract is signed.

Alexander-Arnold’s situation has been less discussed in recent weeks but talk of Real Madrid refuses to go away.

Liverpool could conceivably head into the second half of the season where prizes are being disputed in the knowledge that perhaps their three best players are already playing their last games for the club.

Arne Slot under scrutiny

One key figure for Liverpool who has been CONSTANTLY queried about the contract situation all season long is head coach Arne Slot. Barely a press conference goes by without the Dutchman being asked if any progress has been made.

That despite the fact that Slot is clearly HEAD COACH and not manager with little or no input into contract discussions with players.

The responsibility lies with Hughes as FSG made a calculated decision to move away from the framework under which Jurgen Klopp operated.

The German was very much a manager, making decisions on transfers and contract talks, whereas Slot is responsible primarily for coaching the players at his disposal.

And with only days until Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold can discuss moves away, Slot delivered a timely reminder over who exactly is supposed to be in charge of keeping them at the club.

After Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Leicester on Boxing Day, Amazon Prime questioned Slot yet again on the contract scenarios.

“We don’t talk about contracts in the public,” he said. “It’s up to Richard.”

It’s been unfair on Slot to have to field questions all season long while Hughes and FSG can remain in the shadows. He does not control the negotiations nor is it his responsibility.

In those utterances, he gave fans an insight into where responsibility, blame or credit should lie when it comes to contract talks. It won’t stop journalists asking questions to the head coach but he has certainly put the pressure back on Hughes to deliver.

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