Speaking ahead of Wednesday night’s EFL Cup clash with Tottenham, Slot was honest about the media speculation surrounding Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah, and Virgil van Dijk. The Dutchman stating any contract drama would never play a part in any bad performance this season.
"I talk with my players, if there's anything worrying them they share it with me.
“I am not focused on social media posts or what people are saying. If you do that as Liverpool manager you will have no life, because people are always talking about us.
"If Mohamed Salah misses a penalty against Real Madrid he's distracted by his 'contract situation'.
"If Trent doesn't play well he's distracted by his 'contract situation'.
"If everybody plays well, nobody is distracted by their 'contract distraction'."
The Reds are currently 6 points clear on the Premier League table with a game in hand after a disappointing draw against Manchester United at the weekend. That draw was wrongly blamed on Alexander-Arnold with many media outlets speculating that his dire performance was down to his links with a move to Real Madrid who are looking to snap him up this January in a pre-contract agreement.
This argument that Trent will have another club on his mind whilst battling for three points in a title race is ridiculous, as Slot says, and only crops up when the full-back produces an underwhelming performance. If the England international finds the perfect cross or keeps a clean sheet then it is suggested that he is auditioning for the Spanish giant, proving how myopic the argument is.
As for Van Dijk and Salah, the pair are arguably having their best season in a Liverpool shirt since signing for the club. There is no sense of enervation as their contracts come to a close and they bring vivacity to each and every game no matter what the competition.
Salah recently labeled ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher “obsessed” as the saga over his Liverpool contract continues. Although this was in a joking manner, you can sense the frustration and irritation coming from the Egyptian who has bagged 21 goals and 17 assists in just 27 appearances this season. The media does not want to speak about his form, it seems they want a contract battle between Liverpool and Madrid to help damage the team’s performance.
Slot admits that he tries to avoid social media posts but it is hard to ignore the damning reports that state three of his best players are mindlessly interested in a move elsewhere when they can win anything and everything this season. Maintaining a level head and keeping his players away from senseless arguments is paramount to Liverpool’s title chances this season. This is especially important as everyone outside the club points towards them losing some of their best players rather than cherishing them while they are still at the club.
Liverpool are top of the Premier League, top of the Champions League, still in both cup competitions, and will continue to be consistently one of the best clubs in the world whilst the trio’s contracts run down. Who knows what will happen when one or all three leave at the end of this season, but what Slot knows more than anyone is that the future does not affect the present and his side will continue to chase down every trophy possible.