Liverpool head to Tottenham Hotspur aiming to maintain their position at the top of the Premier League, thanks to the fine performances of three key men this season.
Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold have all been pivotal to the Reds’ exceptional start to life under Arne Slot, which has seen them win 11 and lose just one of their first 15 Premier League fixtures.
All the while though, the end of the trio’s contracts has edged ever closer, with all three set to become free agents in the summer.
Former Liverpool defender gives his verdict on Trent Alexander-Arnold
There has remained no resolution on the future of the three stars – former Liverpool defender Neil Ruddock is sure that talks are going on behind the scenes, but could understand if any of them decide to leave. Alexander-Arnold, in particular, has been heavily linked with Real Madrid.
“Players come to the end of their contracts but I’m sure they’ve been talking, you don’t leave it until after Christmas, I’m sure there’s a lot going on,” Ruddock told FFT.
“I’m sure Liverpool are trying their hardest to keep the three of them there, but as a footballer, you can’t blame them if they want to taste playing abroad, playing for Real Madrid – for a young player like Trent, you can’t really blame him.
“For the older lads like Salah, I can also understand. Why would you stay a couple more years if you don’t think you’re going to be the player you were and you lose that hero status?
“There will be a lot of conversations going on between the players, the people who look after them and the club, there’s a lot to weigh up. For all three of them, I hope they stay, but you can also understand it if they go.”
Ruddock was speaking after launching a new syndicate with Old Gold Racing, offering fans the opportunity to own a share in a new racehorse with him, for £60. The horse Plus Point will compete in the new colours of Razor Ruddock Racing.
“When I was playing football, the lads were always into racing – Steve McManaman, Michael Owen was massively into it and has his own stables now,” Ruddock said.
“I always wanted to get into it and go racing but I never had the time, there was always something I had to do like pick the kids up or I was working.
“But the kids are getting older now so now it’s the right time and I can enjoy going racing. I’ve got to this glory old age of 56, more time on my hands, so me and my agent got in touch with Old Gold and came up with this concept of ‘Let’s have a racehorse and get a syndicate going’.
“We’re encouraging people to join, and it’s going to be a racing club with a difference – I’m going to be there all the time and we want as many members as we can to go to racing.
“We’ll have a good old knees up, a few pints and cheer Plus Point home into the winners’ enclosure.
“It’s not just that you’re going to have a part of the horse, it’s the atmosphere and the occasion as well. We want to go partying and racing.”
There will be more from Ruddock in an upcoming issue of FourFourTwo magazine, and more details about the syndicate are available at https://oldgoldracing.com/horses/plus-point
