Liverpool FC midfielder Alexis Mac Allister caused a stir at the pre-match press conference for the UEFA Champions League game against Atletico Madrid yesterday, by being extraordinarily frank about his contract situation:
“I received the news that the club was not in a position to offer me a new contract which, of course, makes me very, very sad.”
“Everyone can see that I give my 100% for this football club every single day in training and games. Of course, I can have very good games [and] bad games, like everyone, but I always give my best.
“I see Dominik and Ryan renewing their contracts and that makes me very happy because they deserve it.
“At the same time it makes me a little bit sad that I didn’t get mine. Of course, there is still time.
“The fans don’t need to worry because I will give my 100% until the last day I am here.”
“We won a Premier League together, we went through difficult times together and I always give my best so we will see what happens.”
“I don’t think I have to prove something – but I have to show the level I can perform and, hopefully, that’s the case.”
“I love this club. I love the fans. I know very well this is an amazing club and this city has something very special. I love being here.”
He added: “There were options to leave this summer. I think right now I’m in the right club and I have the right mindset to give 100% for this club.”
LFC head coach Andoni Iraola was beside Mac when he made the comments, and chimed in:
“We all have personal situations with different contracts.”
“The important thing is he wants to be here. We haven’t been together a long time but he has been an important player and I rate him very highly.”
“There is still a lot of time to talk about those contract situations.”
Asked about Iraola, Mac Allister said:
“Since I came to pre-season and worked under Andoni, I could see something special.”
“He is a really good coach; he knows very well what he wants to do, and we are trying to get there.”
“I’ve not had any conversations with him about [the contract]. But when I see the way he wants us to play and the way we train, I think this can be a successful year.”
This wasn’t quite Mo Salah in the mixed zone, but it’s rare to hear a player talking about teammates getting extensions. Talking about his desire to play for the club and the badge will always get fans on his side, but to be honest, there was almost zero chance he was going to get an extension after a seriously below-par season.
I do feel for him, to an extent: he’s 2 to 3 years older than Szobozlai and Gravenberch and has always been more of an athletically limited player, which always factors into long-term thinking and a player’s renewal.
At the same time, both Szobo and Grav feel like trickier players to fit and accommodate in what we’ve seen of Iraola’s system so far. Mac has a pretty clear role as the team’s best passer from deep, and he’s certainly been one of the better performers so far, winning duels and generally looking much livier than last season.
I don’t think such things are set in stone, and with two years left on his contract, Mac Allister can certainly earn an extension. A potential addition like AS Monaco’s Lamine Camara could certainly work alongside him, although Liverpool do have to figure out their non-homegrown player situation. However, it’s worth noting that Mac Allister has a potential replacement in Trey Nonyi already on the squad, which is why fans and pundits have assumed he would be the one the club chooses to let go eventually.