Alexis Mac Allister has admitted that Liverpool told him last season that the club was not in a position to offer him a new contract — and he has revealed that he had options to leave during the summer.
That is a pretty remarkable admission.
Mac Allister says the situation made him “very, very sad”, particularly because he loves being at Liverpool.
And honestly, I can understand why.
Mac Allister wanted a new deal
Mac Allister has revealed that Liverpool told him last season that they were not in a position to offer him a new contract.
For a player who has become such an important part of the team, that must have been difficult to hear.
The Argentine midfielder still has two years remaining on his current Liverpool contract, so the club were under no immediate obligation to renew it.
But that doesn’t necessarily make the situation any easier for the player.
Mac Allister has established himself as one of Liverpool’s most important midfielders since arriving from Brighton.
He’s won major trophies.
He’s played at the highest level.
And he’s become a key figure for both Liverpool and Argentina.
So hearing that the club couldn’t offer him a new deal clearly affected him. (Sky Sports)
“Very, very sad”
This is the part of Mac Allister’s comments that really stands out to me.
He wasn’t simply saying:
“I’m disappointed that I haven’t got a new contract.”
He described himself as very, very sad.
That tells you something about how much this matters to him.
Mac Allister has never come across as a player desperate to leave Liverpool.
Quite the opposite.
He appears genuinely happy at Anfield and has repeatedly spoken positively about life at the club.
So the fact that he was considering his future because Liverpool couldn’t offer him a new contract is something supporters shouldn’t simply brush aside.
He had options to leave
And then comes the biggest revelation.
Mac Allister says he had options to leave Liverpool in the summer.
That changes the conversation completely.
This wasn’t simply a theoretical possibility.
There were opportunities available to him.
Yet he stayed.
That is hugely significant.
Mac Allister could have looked at the situation and decided that if Liverpool didn’t see him as someone worthy of a new contract, perhaps he should look elsewhere.
Instead, he remained.
And for me, that deserves recognition.
He chose to stay
This is why I find the whole situation fascinating.
Liverpool effectively told Mac Allister that they weren’t in a position to offer him a new deal.
He had opportunities to leave.
And he still chose Liverpool.
That says an awful lot about how the player feels about the club.
It also means Liverpool now have an opportunity to put this right.
Because if Mac Allister is happy at Anfield and wants to stay, why wouldn’t the club want to secure his future?
Liverpool need Mac Allister
There is also a footballing argument here.
Mac Allister is exactly the type of midfielder I would want Liverpool to build around.
He can control games.
He can pass through the lines.
He can play deeper.
He can contribute further forward.
And now, under Andoni Iraola, we’re seeing him become part of a midfield alongside Dominik Szoboszlai.
Liverpool’s midfield is evolving.
Mac Allister should be part of that evolution.
This isn’t just about money
For me, Liverpool shouldn’t look at this purely as a financial decision.
It’s about showing an important player that he is valued.
Mac Allister doesn’t need to be given a ridiculous contract simply because he’s unhappy.
But if Liverpool genuinely believe he remains central to the team, they should make that clear.
And sometimes the best way to do that is with a new contract.
Liverpool have to be careful
The danger is that this situation could become increasingly uncomfortable.
Mac Allister has two years remaining on his current deal, but if no progress is made, the pressure will only increase.
Liverpool don’t want to reach the point where a player of his quality has entered the final year of his contract and suddenly becomes vulnerable to approaches from Europe’s biggest clubs.
We’ve seen how quickly these situations can change in football.
One minute a player is happy.
The next, his future is being questioned every week.
Liverpool should avoid getting themselves into that position.
Don’t make Mac Allister regret staying
This is the bit that bothers me most.
Mac Allister had options.
He could have left.
He didn’t.
He chose to remain a Liverpool player despite being told that the club couldn’t offer him the new contract he wanted.
Liverpool should remember that.
Because loyalty works both ways.
If Mac Allister continues performing at the level we know he can, I don’t want Liverpool supporters sitting here in a year’s time wondering why the club allowed the situation to drift.
Macca deserves to know he’s wanted
I don’t think Liverpool need to panic.
There are two years left on his contract.
But I do think these comments should encourage the club to have a serious conversation with him.
Mac Allister clearly loves Liverpool.
He had options to leave.
He stayed.
Now Liverpool need to show him that staying was the right decision.
Macca is too important to this Liverpool team to allow his contract situation to become another unnecessary problem.
He chose us.
Now Liverpool need to make sure he knows we still choose him.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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