Virgil van Dijk put future speculation to bed by signing a new two-year contract, and Arne Slot has emphasised that his deal is another show of the “ambitions we have” for the future.
Liverpool tied up two of their three out-of-contract players in the last week, with Van Dijk joining Mohamed Salah in signing a new deal until 2027.
With only six points needed to be crowned Premier League champions, it has lifted the mood at the club at just the right time as we no longer need to concern ourselves over their future.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is another story entirely as he is expected to leave for Real Madrid, but Slot made sure to underline that the new deals for Salah and Van Dijk show the club’s ambitions.
“It tells you that we want to keep our best players, the players that have played a great season for so many years in a row now,” Slot told reporters in Friday’s press conference.
“That we’re able to keep them when they are free agents tells you probably the ambition, ambitions we have for the upcoming years.
“I’m really happy that the both of them extended. We spoke about Mo last week, and Virgil has been so important for us, defensively, offensively, in and around the dressing room, a great personality and a great football player.”
They each would have left a significant hole in Liverpool’s squad had they left this summer, but now current players discussing new deals and possible summer transfers know the state of play.
“By holding on to two [out-of-contract players], it’s already a big summer so let’s see what the rest of the summer will bring,” Slot added.
The importance cannot be understated, but Slot attempted to put into words how significant it was to keep Van Dijk at the club for another two years.
‘I haven’t worked with a player like him in terms of leadership’
On Van Dijk’s qualities, Slot said: “It’s almost difficult to describe, because you know how important he is when you see him play. So that’s what we all see.
“Everybody has given him compliments over the years, so many times about how good he is as a defender.
“I mostly watch football looking at ball possession. He’s so, so, so good in bringing the ball out from the back. His diagonal passes are, of course, known by everyone towards Mo, but the amount of times he plays balls through the lines, the timing when he passes it.
“And then the leader he is in and around this AXA Training Centre that is something I haven’t worked with a player like him in terms of leadership.
“The energy he brings to the team in every single training session and how professional he is for himself, but also tries to influence his teammates, especially the younger ones.
“I think Ryan [Gravenberch] is a great example of that. He’s constantly on him, trying to make him even more of a professional than Ryan already is.
“But Ryan wasn’t used to playing so many games, so he’s constantly on him. So he’s having a big influence at this club.
“But the main influence he has is, of course, on the weekend, and that is also the thing he has to focus on mostly.
“But the good thing with him is he also attributes here at the AXA, and hopefully he can do that in the upcoming two seasons as well.”
