On the day in which Liverpool reached a breakthrough in discussions with both Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk, there was good news about the future of another of Arne Slot’s Premier League champions-in-waiting.
According to the ever-reliable David Ornstein – breaking the news Liverpool fans the globe over have been waiting for with baited breath – Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk are set to sign new two-year deals.
Arguably the world’s finest forward and arguably the world’s finest central defender, both the Egyptian and the Dutchman now look destined to extend their Liverpool legacies until the summer of 2027 at least.
An almighty sigh of relief which could possibly be heard – if the wind is going in the right direction – all the way in Alexis Mac Allister’s Argentinian homeland.
Alexis Mac Allister’s father discusses his Liverpool future
Real Madrid have been linked with Mac Allister in the relatively recent past. The £35 million former Brighton and Hove Albion playmaker, meanwhile, has left the door ajar regarding a potential future in La Liga.
But, as his father explains in conversation with the Argentinian media, there are currently no plans for a second Liverpool player to leave Anfield for the Santiago Bernabeu this summer. That is, of course, presuming that Trent Alexander-Arnold is indeed bound for Real Madrid.
“For now, I don’t think so,” Carlos Mac Allister responds when asked if Alexis could depart in the near future. “Time will tell. Alexis is very happy where he is.
“He lives in Manchester, and on the block where he lives is [Andy] Robertson, [Joe] Gomez, and four blocks away is [Manchester United defender and Argentina teammate] Licha Martinez.
“Alexis speaks English well, understands the rules of the game, and converses with people. I think [moving to Liverpool] has been the best thing he’s had, and that’s why the adaptation was easier.
Mac Allister scored a stunning goal at Fulham last time out. A venomous finish that even saw Manchester United legend Paul Scholes sign the Liverpool playmaker’s praises.
That was his sixth of the season, and his 13th in a Reds jersey.
Carlos Mac Allister struck up a good understanding with Jurgen Klopp
While Mac Allister looks set to become a Premier League champion for the first time on Arne Slot’s watch, it was Jurgen Klopp who lured the 2022 World Cup winner to Anfield a couple of summers ago.
“The first meeting was with me to explain what [Klopp] saw in Alexis and why he wanted him,” Carlos recalls. “We had a very nice conversation there. There’s a very powerful anecdote, but I can’t share it because it involves bad language, and I’ve never told it before!
“I told him they had a major problem [after the Champions League defeat by Real Madrid that spring]. The translator saw me and told me I couldn’t tell him that, and I told him to tell him because I was going to explain it to him.
“Then I told him in English, and Klopp asked me what I meant. I told him [that the players must] get on top of you, grab you, push you, hug you, and that you can’t mark from two meters away, which is why they conceded five goals [over the tie].
“He looked at me and told me I was right. That’s when we began to build a relationship with him. We met again, and he called Alexis to tell him he was happy, and so much so that he publicly acknowledged what Alexis is and the appreciation of a family that comes from football.”
Liverpool can move another big step towards a second Premier League title when they face West Ham United on Sunday.
Mac Allister was absent from Liverpool’s team training on Wednesday, though it has been reported that this is simply because he was working on an individual session rather than recovering from any knock he might have picked up at Craven Cottage.
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