Liverpool defender finally agrees new contract | OneFootball

One Liverpool defender has finally committed his future to the club.

It's been a long summer for Richard Hughes but his work isn't over. Being a sporting director means you're pretty much always working, always focused on the club's next recruitment phase and on contracts.

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Last season, he was embroiled in more than just one long drawn-out saga. Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk both had expiring contracts at the end of last season.

Their deals were the centre of the attention among the media. Salah even publically commented on his situation last season after a game against Southampton, where he did what he has rarely done and spoke to the media in the mixed zone.

Ultimately, Hughes' strategy paid off. Both Salah and Van Dijk extended their terms and are now on deals until 2027. What t he future holds beyond remains to be seen.

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Obviously, there was an instance where Hughes 'failed.' Trent Alexander-Arnold unlike the aforementioned duo did not extend his deal despite being offered a pay increase.

Instead, he had been cajoled by Real Madrid's persuasive call and ultimately left the club for £10m to join Real Madrid one month early prior to his contract expiration so that he could play in the FIFA Club World Cup.

What happened to Alexander-Arnold is now in danger of happening to Ibrahima Konate. Like Alexander-Arnold he has one year left on his contract and he is also on Real's radar.

At this moment in time, it looks like there is a good chance Konate follows in the footsteps of Alexander-Arnold. But Liverpool still have hope.

On the other hand, Hughes has managed to get a new contract over the line for a defender who has been in negotiations with the Reds since the start of the summer.

When Liverpool announced their retained list for the 2025/26 season back in June, the club confirmed that they had made a contract offer to 18-year-old, Emmanuel Airoboma.

The young centre-back, who can also play as a right-back, has represented Liverpool since U12 level and has recently earned a promotion to the club's U21 team.

For a few months now, there has been no word of whether Liverpool's offer for Airoboma was accepted. However, on Wednesday afternoon, the club confirmed that Airoboma has finally agreed terms with the Reds and thus signed his first professional contract at Liverpool.

This is great news. Securing the future of young players at the club is always a priority at Liverpool.

Who is Emmanuel Airoboma?

Airoboma made his debut for Liverpool's U18 side back in 2023, when he was just 16-years-old. He made 10 appearances in his first season in the U18 Premier League and then followed that up with 12 appearances last season.

This season, he has so far made one appearance coming on as a substitute for Liverpool's U21 side.

A tall and composed defender, he's very comfortable on the ball and reads the game well.

He's also of Nigerian descent and is eligible to represent the African nation as well as England at international level.

At academy level he has won 55% of his defensive duels (averaging 8 per 90 minutes) and 67% of his aerial duels (averaging 2 per 90 minutes).