Having been asked about the contracts of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk, Kostas Tsimikas gave an answer that has worried some Liverpool supporters.
As fans know, Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk and Salah all have Liverpool contracts expiring at the end of the season.
Updates on the status of negotiations have been few and far between, leaving supporters over-analysing every word the squad says about the trio who have made a combined 966 appearances for the Reds.
Tsimikas is the latest to have spoken about the three players, telling Sky Sports: “They will enjoy it if they stay or if they go, so I think that’s the only thing [that] matters.
“It is up to them what they will do. For sure, the guys who leave, we will miss them a lot because all of them, they are many years here.
“The guys who leave, we will miss them a lot”
Tsimikas shares his thoughts on the future of his teammates at Liverpool ? pic.twitter.com/7rOy6OsJnb
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 30, 2024
“So, yeah. They know what they want from the future but their thinking is always, you know, to enjoy every moment here.
“I think for everybody, [it] is the most important to enjoy and you don’t know what the future will bring.”
It is the phrase “the guys who leave, we will miss them” that is worrying supporters, some of whom see this as a statement that at least one of the players is headed for the exit.
While it does sound that way, the truth is that we are likely over-analysing his words ourselves.
English isn’t Tsimikas’ first language and it is very easy to mix tenses up. Also, in the wider context of the interview, he is talking about them leaving as a possible scenario rather than a definite.
Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold have all kept their cards relatively close to their chests but have spoken on the topic when pressed.
Of the three, at the moment, Van Dijk seems most likely to stay. He said recently: “I can say obviously discussions are ongoing, but I don’t know, we will see what happens in the future.
“My full focus is on Liverpool, wanting to win games that are ahead of me and nothing else.
“What the future will bring I have no idea at the moment. I can only tell you that discussions have been started up and we will see.”
Meanwhile, Alexander-Arnold and Salah’s discussions continue to be kept behind closed doors as Liverpool’s season ticks on.
