Liverpool chairman Tom Werner has revealed that the club were prepared to let Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk leave for free last summer if contract talks had collapsed, underlining the financial discipline driving Fenway Sports Group’s (FSG) approach to the Anfield project.
In a candid interview, Werner explained that while there was relief and joy when the new deals were finally signed at the end of last season, Liverpool’s hierarchy were ready to walk away if the financial demands no longer aligned with the club’s long-term model.
Contract Standoff Behind Title Charge
The contractual drama unfolded in parallel with Liverpool’s title-winning campaign, adding an undercurrent of uncertainty to a season of apparent stability. Both Salah and Van Dijk entered the final year of their contracts with negotiations dragging on for months, creating anxiety among supporters who feared losing two of the club’s modern icons.
Talks continued deep into the spring as Liverpool pushed for honours on the pitch, with no guarantee behind the scenes that their two talismen would stay. Werner admitted that despite the emotion surrounding the pair, the club’s leadership could not be driven solely by sentiment. The finances, he insisted, had to remain “right for the club”, even for players as influential as Salah and Van Dijk.
The breakthrough eventually came near the end of the season, when both players agreed extensions, ending months of speculation. Yet Werner’s latest comments reveal just how close Liverpool were to accepting the unthinkable: allowing two of their greatest modern performers to see out their deals and leave Anfield for nothing.
Werner: ‘If the Chasm Was Too Big, We’d Have Walked’
Werner laid bare his own internal conflict in an extract from Walk On: Inside Arne Slot’s Liverpool by James Pearce, published by The Athletic. He described himself as “impatient”, frequently checking in on sporting director Richard Hughes as negotiations dragged on, particularly with Salah’s representatives.
“I’d call him frequently and say, ‘Richard, how are things going with Mo Salah and his contract?’ and he would say, ‘Tom, it will all be good in the end’,” Werner recalled, underscoring the calm approach of Hughes in contrast to his own restlessness. He praised Hughes for his composure and methodical style, noting that agents see him as a respectful, structured operator who always works to a clear plan.
Crucially, Werner confirmed that FSG’s support for Hughes extended even to the possibility of losing Salah and Van Dijk. “We were delighted that the new contracts for Mo and Virgil were sorted. But you know what? If Richard had called and said, ‘The chasm is too big’, I would have respected that too,” he said. The chairman stressed that he, John Henry and Mike Gordon place a premium on hiring experts and then allowing them the freedom to act, rather than intervening emotionally in negotiations.
Liverpool Rewarding Legends or Risky Loyalty?
At the time the contract extensions were announced, Liverpool fans widely celebrated the news. Salah and Van Dijk, aged 33 and 34 respectively, are seen by many as central figures in the club’s transformation under recent regimes, having delivered domestic and European success and becoming symbols of the modern Liverpool era.
However, the decision to hand new deals to players in their mid-thirties is now being questioned in some quarters, particularly as Liverpool struggle to replicate last season’s dominance. Some critics argue that the club has shown too much loyalty to players past their physical peak, potentially slowing down the refresh of the squad in key areas.
Werner’s remarks, therefore, shed an important light on the internal debate: Liverpool’s leadership knew the risks, but believed the balance between continuity and competitiveness could still be struck. The fact they were ready to let both stars go for free if the financial gap proved too great shows that sentiment was never allowed to fully override strategic planning — even for club legends.
Rooney Slams Salah and Van Dijk as ‘Big Concern’
Questions over the wisdom of those renewals have intensified amid Liverpool’s current struggles. The Reds, sitting eighth in the Premier League and eight points adrift of leaders Arsenal, have endured a poor title defence, losing four league matches in a row at one point, including a damaging 3–1 defeat to Brentford.
Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show after that loss, former Manchester United and England captain Wayne Rooney singled out Salah and Van Dijk for criticism. He argued that the pair, who were rewarded with lucrative new deals, have not shown the leadership expected of them during a difficult spell.
“This is a time where the manager and the leaders in the team need to figure it out very quickly,” Rooney said. “Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, they’ve signed new deals but I don’t think they’ve really led that team this season.” He pointed to their body language as a worrying indicator of deeper issues, insisting that when the team’s top players appear flat or frustrated, it can seep through the rest of the squad.
Rooney acknowledged that he might be wrong in his assessment, but said that if he were a Liverpool fan or manager, the attitude and energy of Salah and Van Dijk would be a “big concern”. His comments have fuelled a wider conversation over whether the pair are still capable of setting the standard required to sustain another title challenge.
Salah Under the Microscope as Wirtz Struggles
Salah’s own form has become a focal point of the debate. Once a relentless attacking force who amassed 34 goals and 23 assists in 52 games during one of his peak seasons, the Egyptian forward has looked a shadow of that player so far this term. While he has still managed four goals and two assists in his opening 11 league games, the overall impact and sharpness associated with his best years have appeared diminished.
In Germany, the criticism has gone even further. A report in Bild this week accused Salah of playing too “solo”, suggesting his style has hindered the integration and output of £116million summer signing Florian Wirtz. The piece argued that Salah has “overlooked Wirtz” and failed to help new recruits — who collectively cost around half a billion euros — to shine in Liverpool’s system.
Wirtz, a marquee arrival expected to add creativity and goals from midfield or the forward line, has yet to register a single goal or assist in 11 Premier League appearances. Against that backdrop, Salah’s tendency to combine more with established teammates — with all three of his assists going to players already at the club before the latest spending spree — has been framed as a tactical and relational problem, not just a matter of individual form.
The narrative emerging, particularly from abroad, is that Salah is becoming “a major problem for Liverpool and Wirtz” rather than the solution he has so often been in the past. For a player whose brilliance once defined Liverpool’s attack, the shift in tone is stark and underlines the pressure he now faces to adapt and reassert his influence.
Carragher Urges Defensive Reinforcements as Slot Seeks Reset
With Liverpool’s title defence faltering and questions mounting around their senior stars, attention is already turning to how the squad can be strengthened in the January transfer window. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher believes the current group is not cut out to reclaim the Premier League crown this season, regardless of any response they mount in the coming weeks.
“I don’t think this group of players is equipped to win the Premier League this year, even with the points and how far behind they are,” Carragher said on The Overlap. His view is that the defensive unit, in particular, needs reinforcing to secure a top-four finish and a return to the Champions League, which would be vital for both finances and morale.
That assessment places added scrutiny on Van Dijk, once widely regarded as the best defender in the world and the bedrock of Liverpool’s backline. While he remains influential, the aura of invincibility that surrounded him during his peak seasons has diminished, and the team’s vulnerability at the back has raised doubts over how much longer he can anchor a title-chasing defence.
Liverpool will hope to begin rewriting the narrative when they return from the international break, with Nottingham Forest visiting Anfield on Saturday. A convincing performance and result would not only help close the gap to Arsenal, but also ease the immediate pressure on Salah, Van Dijk and the club’s decision-makers — the same leadership who, as Werner has now revealed, were willing to risk losing their two biggest stars for nothing in the name of financial discipline and long-term planning.
