Former Celtic manager Gordon Strachan has publicly questioned Liverpool's decision to hand new contracts to star players Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, suggesting they may have "overstayed their welcome" at Anfield.
Liverpool's alarming slump
The criticism comes as Liverpool endure their worst Premier League start in years, sitting 12th in the table after suffering six defeats in their opening seven matches. Their recent loss to Nottingham Forest marked another low point in a campaign that sees them trailing rivals Everton and Manchester United, while sitting a staggering 11 points behind league leaders Arsenal.
Strachan expressed his concerns during an interview with BOYLE Sports, stating: "There's a sense of: 'What's happened here?' It could be a lot of things. Have Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah overstayed their welcome? Everyone wanted them to stay, and it looked good, but I had reservations."
Contract concerns and transfer strategy
Much of last season's focus centred on securing the futures of key players. While Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah both signed new contracts earlier this year, Trent Alexander-Arnold departed for Real Madrid.
Strachan particularly questioned the timing and logic behind Salah's extension: "I definitely had reservations, just at the time it took to sign their contracts and at the last minute. I couldn't see how he was going to do any better. So, anything below the magnificent level that he's been producing over the last five or six years, there's got to be negativity about it."
The former manager drew comparisons with Sir Alex Ferguson's approach at Manchester United, noting: "Sometimes you've got to be brutally honest, like Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, who knew when it was time for people to go."
Summer signings under scrutiny
Liverpool invested heavily during the summer transfer window, bringing in multiple players including Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz for over £100 million each. The complete list of new arrivals included Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Giovanni Leoni, Freddie Woodman and Armin Pecsi.
However, Strachan suggested these signings haven't lived up to expectations: "You look at the players they've brought in, have they come up to scratch at the moment? Maybe not. The whole of the English football world thought: 'Oh, they've signed somebody for 120 million, another one for 120 million, and spent 50 million for a left-back.' It's not what we imagined was going to happen, that's for sure."
He concluded that Liverpool face multiple challenges, stating: "So there's a lot going on at that club. With all the signings we all thought it could only get better, but it hasn't been the case."
