The January transfer window opens Thursday, triggering a month-long scramble to make any final personnel moves that will cover the rest of the Premier League season. For clubs vying for a top spot, it’s a chance to reinforce in the push for a trophy — or multiple. For teams looking to escape relegation, it’s an opportunity to bring in reinforcements to finish the job.
But it’s not just about the movement of players between clubs. Now is the time for clubs to worry about stars approaching the end of their contracts — whether hitting free agency in the summer of 2026 or 2027 — and extend them on new terms before they are persuaded to join elsewhere.
As such, it’s time for another edition of “Keep, Dump or Extend” — and this time we’re looking at Liverpool. Mark Ogden and Gab Marcotti are playing the role of sporting director to look at the questions facing Liverpool all fronts, from acquisitions and exits to contract renewals. Let’s get started!
Liverpool: Keep, Dump or Extend?
• League position, as of Dec. 30: Fourth, 32 points. (Last year’s finish: 1st, 84 points)
• Realistic goal: Champions League qualification through Premier League — or by winning the Champions League or FA Cup
1. Salah is now away at AFCON and his future remains unresolved: How do you deal with your star player?
Ogden: Two weeks ago, in the immediate aftermath of Mohamed Salah‘s contentious comments about his playing time, I would have said that Liverpool should be prepared to let him go in January if they receive a ridiculous offer from Saudi Arabia.
But the subsequent injury to Alexander Isak — who faces two-to-three months out with a broken leg — changes everything. Because of the Isak injury, Liverpool can’t afford to willingly part with their most consistent goalscorer, regardless of his feelings towards manager Arne Slot.
Isak could be back and scoring goals in early March, but that’s the best-case scenario, so the knock-on effect with Salah is that his future must now be put on hold until the summer.
0:53
Arne Slot: Myself and Mohamed Salah have moved on from Leeds interview
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has revealed that himself and Mohamed Salah have moved forward from the Egyptian’s explosive interview earlier this month.
Marcotti: The man has a contract: if he wants to stay, he stays. That’s the reality, even if these supposed massive offers from Saudi Arabia materialise.
We know Salah is not going to move for money — if he was, he would have gone in the summer as a free agent. The only thing that would make Salah leave is the realisation that he can no longer get in the starting XI regularly. He’s not there yet and with Isak out, he may never get there.
I’d like to see Slot come up with a system that masks Salah’s weaknesses and exploits his strengths. (The version of a 4-4-2 we saw at Inter Milan could be a solution.) Slot has fiddled with so many systems he may as well try that upon Salah’s return.
2. Isak is injured: Replace him from within or sign another forward?
Ogden: Liverpool will hardly miss Isak’s goals when he is sidelined because the £125m summer signing has scored just two in the Premier League since arriving from Newcastle. But if his strike at Spurs was the catalyst for a run of form, then Isak’s absence will be a big blow.
Either way, while it is a major setback for Liverpool, it would be foolish to rush into the market for a replacement in January. Salah will be back by mid-January at the latest and Slot can already count on Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo, Federico Chiesa and teenager Rio Ngumoha as attacking options. Add in the goals of Dominik Szoboszlai and Liverpool have plenty of cover for Isak.
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Will Liverpool need to sign a replacement for Isak in January?
Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens talk about Alexander Isak’s injury against Tottenham and debate whether Liverpool will need to bring in a replacement striker.
Marcotti: Assuming nobody else gets injured, you don’t sign another forward. You don’t need another guy to replace someone who was contributing very little and couldn’t get reliably prove he deserved to start.
Let Ekitike play center forward and when he’s out, you have Cody Gakpo. Or go with a front two and get Florian Wirtz, Federico Chiesa and Salah (when he’s back) into the mix.
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3. Bring in more reinforcements at other positions, or stand pat with this Liverpool squad?
Ogden: They need to sign a centre-half.
Even if Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté continue to avoid injury, they need reliable cover or even replacements. Joe Gomez can’t be relied upon to stay fit and summer signing Giovanni Leoni, who is still just 19, is out until next season with an ACL injury.
Liverpool made a mess of their attempt to sign Marc Guéhi from Crystal Palace and they may have blown their best chance of signing the England defender. But, with his contract due to expire in June and Palace vulnerable to a good offer, it would make sense to try again in early January.
Marcotti: Whether it’s Guehi or somebody else, they need another option — and it needs to be starting calibre.
I can understand not wanting to spend big in January because you rarely get value in that situation, but then they should at least seek a loan move for someone they like who is presentable in the role.
4. Elliott’s loan at Aston Villa has been a disaster: Should Liverpool try to recall him?
Ogden: Absolutely. Harvey Elliott was the star of the tournament when England won the U-21 Euros last summer, but Unai Emery has given the 22-year-old just 97 minutes of action in the Premier League during his loan at Aston Villa.
Elliott has not appeared in any competition since a four-minute substitute outing in the Europa League win at Feyenoord on Oct. 2. But due to FIFA rules, Elliott can’t play for another club after representing Liverpool and Villa this season, so Liverpool should negotiate a deal to take him back to Anfield.
Marcotti: This is a no-brainer. Bring him home. He’s versatile and hard-working, and he can do a job for you in midfield and on the wing. He didn’t play much last season (though he still appeared in 28 games), but Liverpool are in a different situation this year.
It also makes sense because with a year left on his contract, you’ll want to know if he’s worth an extension.
5. Robertson and Konate are both out of contract in the summer: Renew, or allow them to leave for free?
Ogden: I would offer Andy Robertson a new one-year contract as quickly as possible. It doesn’t matter that he will be 32 in March — Robertson’s experience and reliability have been crucial, and underused, qualities this season. He definitely has a role to play while Milos Kerkez tries to adjust to life at Anfield.
I think Ibrahima Konaté is a different matter. At 26, he is in the peak years of his career so should have been secured to a new contract at least a year ago, but his performances in 2025 have not warranted an extension and it seems mind are made up about him at Anfield.
Marcotti: I don’t think Robertson is keen to leave, so I imagine he’d take a one- or even two-year extension given he’s 31, provided he accepts the fact that he’s now a squad player.
This feels like a re-run of last year with the three free agents-to-be (Salah, Van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold). The difference is that while Salah and Van Dijk accepted two-year extensions because they were older, Konate’s age means he won’t do that — nor should he.
I don’t think Liverpool ought to give up on Konate just yet, but they have to be disciplined on what they’re willing to spend, just as they were with Trent Alexander-Arnold. I’d also rely on Slot and the analytics nerds at the club to offer a convincing explanation of just why he’s been so much worse and whether it can be fixed.
6. Liverpool have a batch of 2027 expiring contracts: Alisson, Van Dijk, Wataru Endo, Salah, Curtis Jones, Joe Gomez and Stefan Bajcetic. Who should be extended now?
Ogden: I’d try to nail down Alisson Becker and Curtis Jones to long-term extensions, but the jury is out on the rest of them.
Van Dijk and Salah are obviously club legends, but both have shown signs of slowing down this season after signing two-years deals in 2025. Let’s see how they finish 2026 — if they’re still at Anfield in 12 months’ time.
Wataru Endo, Stefan Bajcetic and Joe Gomez all have different situations, but none of them should expect a new deal anytime soon.
Marcotti: I’m not sure Alisson is as automatic a choice as he was. He’s been hurt in each of the last three seasons. And with a goalkeeper of his age, 33, you can bide your time a little.
Extending Jones is a no-brainer — at the right price — and it also gives you leverage over Alexis Mac Allister, whose deal is up in 2028.
I agree there’s no rush on the others, though once Bajcetic is fit I’d like to see him gets minutes. He was a very promising player prior to this injuries.
7. Slot’s contract expires in June 2027: Reward him with a new deal, or wait until this turbulent season is over?
Ogden: It feels as though Slot has weathered the early season storm and returned to some kind of normality, but let’s see how the season plays out. Liverpool could end the season as Champions League winners, but equally, they could miss out on the top four and end up with no trophies.
It sounds wild, but despite winning the Premier League last season, Slot still needs to prove he has earned a contract extension.
Marcotti: Conventional wisdom has it that you don’t want coaches to go into a season with just one year left on their deals because it undermines their authority. I think Liverpool have already shown, with the Salah, Van Dijk, Trent sagas of last year that this isn’t necessarily the case.
If you’re a well-run club with a strong presence from the sporting director and CEO of football, a good coach like Slot shouldn’t need the safety blanket of more years on his contract. Slot is a grown-up. He knows he hasn’t performed this season and I don’t think he’ll flip out if you don’t give him deal.
On the other hand, if he finds the right balance and turns it around, by all means, reward him in the spring.
