When Liverpool hero Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville revised their start-of-season Premier League predictions on Sky Sports, the Manchester United icon doubled down on his title-winning backing of Arsenal.
This is certainly bold, with the Anfield side nine points clear of the third-place Gunners as we roll into the new year, but it does present a cautionary tale for those of a Reds persuasion. The league is far from done, and there are sure to be some twists and turns.
Under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool had been a day late and a dollar short in numerous battles with Manchester City and Real Madrid for the biggest prizes, but Arne Slot has brought new-found control and consistency. There is an air of determination about this Reds squad, so impressive across the park.
Flawless at the summit of the Champions League group phase too, Liverpool are flying, and this is all the more praiseworthy when considering the off-field distractions that would have foiled many a high-level team.
Contracts. A fear-inducing word on Merseyside. We’ve entered testing territory.
Where Liverpool stand vis-a-vis contracts
2025 is upon us, and Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are free to negotiate with whoever they please overseas regarding a pre-contract agreement.
As per numerous sources, Van Dijk and Salah are in promising positions regarding renewals. Tacitly, Liverpool expect them to extend despite the protracted nature of the discussions.
It’s a different case for Alexander-Arnold, however, with the boyhood Liverpool fan enticed by the allure of Real Madrid, who need a right-back and are ramping up the gas to bring in their number one target for 2025.
The next few weeks will be pivotal, but there’s a resigned undercurrent about Anfield’s fanbase. When Los Blancos come a-calling, it’s hard to turn them down – and Trent is patently attracted to the proposition.
However, this isn’t the only battle FSG need to be concerned about, with Real believed to have registered an interest in another Liverpool centrepiece.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Real Madrid eyeing another Liverpool star
As per Spanish reports, Real Madrid are looking to heap further transfer misery on Liverpool by targetting Alexis Mac Allister, who signed for the Anfield side from Brighton for an eye-catching £35m in 2023.
The Spaniards’ intrigue is genuine, but Liverpool have responded emphatically by placing a €100m (£83m) price tag on the Argentina star.
Mac Allister, 26, is contracted to the club until 2028 but has recently expressed a desire to play in La Liga in the future.
Why losing Alexis Mac Allister would be bad news
Despite dispatching Real Madrid in the Champions League in November, Liverpool might feel like something of a punching bag, having lost two Champions League finals against them, also missing out on several high-profile targets and now contending with the prospect of losing Alexander-Arnold on a free.
Should Mac Allister leave too: detrimental consequences for Slot’s project. The dynamic midfielder isn’t always the headline-stealer but he acts as the solvent in the centre, crunching in the tackle, inventive on the ball and influential in his leadership and decision-making.
However, metrics still serve to underscore his value. As per FBref, Mac Allister ranks among the top 5% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions and tackles as well as the top 15% for progressive passes per 90.
When looking at his Premier League performances over the past two seasons, you can really see how he has adapted to Liverpool’s transition under Slot, less of a roaming presence and more structured in the Dutch coach’s strategic system.
Goals
0.17
0.07
Assists
0.17
0.15
Pass completion
86.5%
86%
Passes attempted
68.11
53.40
Progressive passes
7.24
6.43
Progressive carries
1.52
1.31
Touches (att pen)
1.11
2.05
Prog. passes received
1.66
2.56
Ball recoveries
6.75
5.92
Tackles + interceptions
4.64
4.53
Blocks
2.25
2.48
He’s further forward than before, chiefly because Ryan Gravenberch has been outstanding in his deep-sitting midfield role, instilling control through his elegant and silky technical quality.
Mac Allister still brings punch to Liverpool’s football but is doing so in a way that runs in conjunction with another thriving midfielder. It is little details like this that differentiates Slot from his managerial peers and has propelled Liverpool into the ascendency.
The equipoise is perfectly intact and FSG cannot allow Real Madrid to disrupt it. Harking back to that first point, the Reds cannot get ahead of themselves; as key figures keep reiterating, they must stay humble and focused on the next fixture.
But Slot has something special at Liverpool and must be handed the tools to craft lasting success. Liverpool have a platform from which prosperity can be captured and sustained over this new era, but Mac Allister is the linchpin in the middle, enabling so much of the success of those around him.
Losing Alexander-Arnold or Salah would be a nightmare, but, in Trent’s case, one that Richard Hughes has had ample time to prepare for and draw up plans if the dreaded eventuality materialises in solid form.
Imagine if such a problem were to be exacerbated by Mac Allister’s flight too. Liverpool wouldn’t be able to recover from such a succession of setbacks, like dominoes toppling sequentially, and all the incredible work that has been done since a German man left Liverpool in 2024 would be derailed.
Of course, Liverpool’s endurance, their powers of recovery, have been a thing to behold over the past decade, and even if these ghastly prospects all came true in negative form, Anfield wouldn’t collapse like that of certain neighbours (no names).
But Mac Allister’s continuing presence in Liverpool’s midfield could be the difference between top-four pushes and title-chasing exhilaration. As pundit Joe Cole said, Mac Allister is a “superstar” who “can play anywhere” in midfield.
There’s a taint at Liverpool, it’s blotted on the fabric of the Reds’ thrilling season. How much of an effect that it will have over the coming months is very much open to question, but another stain in the form of Mac Allister’s prospective sale, rising in volume like Anfield’s away section when opponents take shock leads, could be a major problem indeed.
Let’s just hope that as Liverpool routinely claw back to victory on the field, Hughes and Co can end this concerning quandary in the boardroom and silence the gleeful Madrid fans who smell victory in this transfer battle.
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