John Arne Riise believes that one ‘exceptional’ player at Liverpool will depart the club in the coming months.
As 2024 nears its conclusion, the Reds are sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League, but supporters’ nerves are frayed over three ongoing contractual sagas.
Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all coming into the final six months of their respective deals, and each of the trio will be free to speak with overseas clubs from 1 January unless they agree contract extensions in the next five days.
Speaking on Amazon Prime Video Sport’s coverage of Liverpool’s Boxing Day win over Leicester, Riise waxed lyrical about the man in the number 66 shirt but feels that this could be the 26-year-old’s final season at his boyhood club.
The former Reds defender said of Trent (via Liverpool Echo): “There’s never been anyone like him in world football or at Liverpool. He is exceptional. In modern football, you have to be good defensively and offensively. He is exceptionally good going forward with his passing and vision.
“In his programme notes he mentioned he can see something building under Slot and it’s clear it’s going to be a good journey – will it be with Trent long-term or not? These players keep giving different signals, whether they’re going to stay or go.
“Based on what is said there, he will stay because he enjoys the football and Arne Slot has come in and changed him as a player, especially defensively. I think he’s happy, but it’s more about Trent himself and what he wants from his career.
“Does he need something new, or is he happy here? That is the big question. I think he will go.”
Of the three Liverpool players whose contracts expire next summer, Trent currently seems the least likely to agree a new deal with the club.
That was the view put forward by Melissa Reddy for Sky Sports earlier this month, and Real Madrid reportedly have a meeting scheduled with the right-back’s representatives for early January (CaughtOffside).
We can’t shed any light on the 26-year-old’s innermost thoughts on his future, but what we can say with confidence is that the Reds’ performances on the pitch are giving him every incentive to stay put at Anfield.
It was Liverpool who gave Trent his passageway into elite football, with the England international since seizing that opportunity with both hands; and should he choose to remain in L4 for his peak footballing years, he could secure a legend status on a par with all-time greats such as Sir Kenny Dalgish, Robbie Fowler and Steven Gerrard.
Riise seems to think that our vice-captain could depart in 2025, but fingers crossed that he’ll eschew Real Madrid’s interest in favour of further enhancing his legacy on Merseyside.
The post ‘I think he will go’ – John Arne Riise predicts 2025 exit for ‘exceptional’ Liverpool stalwart appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.
