Liverpool were prepared to let Salah and Van Dijk leave for free, chairman reveals | OneFootball

Liverpool would have walked away from contract talks with Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk and let them leave on free transfers if they had asked for too much money, chairman Tom Werner revealed.

Salah, the third highest scorer in Liverpool’s history, and captain Van Dijk both signed new two-year deals in April, less than three months before the end of their previous contracts and after sagas that lasted for much of the season in which the Egyptian had claimed he was “more out than in” and when the club risked losing both.

But while it took months to come to an agreement with both the defender and the forward, Werner praised director of football Richard Hughes for the patient way he handled talks.

Werner told James Pearce in his new book Walk On: “Richard is a friend of mine. And what I like about him as a friend translates into why he’s a great leader. I can’t say enough wonderful things about Richard.

“I’d call him frequently and say, ‘Richard, how are things going with Mo Salah and his contract?’, and he would say, ‘Tom, it will all be good in the end’. He conducts business in a very respectful way. He has a plan and he executes it.

“We were delighted that the new contracts for Mo and Virgil were sorted. But you know what? If Richard had called and said, ‘The chasm is too big’, I would have respected that too. John [W Henry], Mike [Gordon] and I try to find people who are excellent at their jobs and let them do their jobs. We don’t meddle, we just provide support and advice from our point of view. There’s a lot of trust. I can’t say enough wonderful things about Richard.”

Werner also described Fenway Sports Group’s CEO of Football Michael Edwards as “probably the preeminent father of success” at Liverpool. Edwards, who had been director of football before his departure in 2022, returned in a new role last year, when Werner believes he had received many other offers.

Werner confirmed FSG, who have been interested in purchasing Bordeaux and Malaga, are looking to expand their portfolio, with Edwards in charge. “Key for Michael was our commitment to purchasing a second club. That’s very much still the plan,” he said.

The American businessman said head coach Arne Slot was “always” Liverpool’s first choice to replace Jurgen Klopp and said it was a “surprise” how well the Dutchman’s first season went, as he won the Premier League title.

He praised Slot, saying: “One of Arne’s great attributes is his authenticity. He’s not trying to be Jurgen Klopp, he’s not trying to be Pep Guardiola. He’s his own man, and he’s quite brilliant in all the things that he does.”