Liverpool are proving a thorn in Arsenal’s side at the moment, but the futures of star players Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold remain very uncertain.
Arsenal are competing with Liverpool on a number of fronts at the moment, but Arne Slot’s side certainly have the edge in the Premier League and the Champions League.
Following their most recent win over West Ham United, Liverpool are nine points clear of Arsenal in the Premier League having played the same number of games.
In the Champions League, Liverpool are top with six wins from six, with Arsenal five points behind in third. One more win for Slot would see them guarantee a League Phase finish above the Gunners.
Then there’s the League Cup, with both teams in the semi-final. Arsenal face Newcastle United, whilst Liverpool play Spurs. If Mikel Arteta wants a trophy this season, it’s looking increasingly like he’ll have to get the better of the Merseyside club.
Liverpool’s recent form has been largely driven by Mohamed Salah, with 37 goal contributions in all competitions already this season. He put up another goal and two assists against West Ham on Sunday.
Yet Salah’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season, and he told Sky Sports at the weekend: “We are far away from that [contract renewal] and I don’t want to put anything in the media.”
Another one of Liverpool’s top recent performers is Trent Alexander-Arnold, who scored against West Ham on Sunday and has also provided three assists in his last five league games.
Once again, his future is unclear, with recent reports from Spain suggesting he might turn down a new Liverpool deal to sign for Real Madrid in the coming summer window. Madrid will be able to officially open talks in January.
Virgil van Dijk’s contract also expires at the end of the season, with David Ornstein reporting earlier this month that Liverpool have also made him an offer. But there are no real updates on that front, with Salah and Alexander-Arnold seemingly closer to deciding to leave.
None of the three players are expected to depart in the January window, so Arsenal will have to keep dealing with them until the end of the current campaign at least.