Mounting pressure won't stop them, Liverpool stick to controversial plan

Liverpool are sticking to a controversial plan. The mounting pressure to change tact isn't going to sway them, either.

Liverpool made headlines earlier this year with two enormous contracts that locked down the future of their midfield. Whether those moves were correct or not is another matter.

But March saw Ryan Gravenberch agree a six-year contract with Liverpool that makes him one of the best-paid midfielders in football. This was a reward for his 2024/25 campaign, particularly the start of it, that helped the Reds win the Premier League title.

Dominik Szoboszlai was similarly rewarded for the same reasons with a similar contract. He's committed to Liverpool for his peak years and the club are shelling out a lot of money to guarantee that.

The problem is that we're not entirely sure they can play together in midfield. Nor are we sure that either makes it into Liverpool's best midfield right now.

The Alexis Mac Allister plan

Gravenberch and Szoboszlai both joined in 2023 but they weren't alone. They arrived as part of a midfield overhaul, with Wataru Endo and Alexis Mac Allister also signing for Liverpool.

Now, Endo's future isn't at the club and we fully expect him to depart at the end of the season. The big question, though, is over Mac Allister.

The Argentine is arguably Liverpool's best midfielder. Despite this, he hasn't got a new contract even after asking for one and the club reportedly told him that they 'weren't in a position' to give him one.

Mac Allister has now started this season incredibly well, a statement punctuated with two-goals against Villarreall this week. However, the Telegraph reports that Liverpool remain in no rush to renew his contract.

Time will tell if that changes but as of now, Mac Allister is still winding down towards the final 18 months of his deal. It appears that the plan of letting him go - sacrificing him for a new midfielder - remains in place.

And we're not sure that's a good idea. At all.