Liverpool have spent a fortune rebuilding this squad.
There have been huge attacking signings, young defenders have arrived and there is plenty of talk about building the next great Liverpool team under Andoni Iraola.
But there are two players I still wouldn’t want to lose.
Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk.
I know they are getting older. I know Liverpool have to think about the future. I also understand that handing long contracts to players in their thirties isn’t something the club can do without thinking carefully.
But watch these two play.
They are still good enough.
And that’s what matters.
Alisson’s contract currently runs until 2027 after Liverpool triggered the extension in his existing deal, while van Dijk signed his current two-year extension in April 2025. Both are therefore heading towards the final year of their contracts.
For me, Liverpool should be having conversations with both players about extending their stays.
Alisson is still Alisson
I find it strange when people talk about replacing Alisson as though Liverpool have an ordinary goalkeeper who is simply getting old.
They don’t.
They have Alisson.
Even after the injuries he has had, there are still moments when he reminds everyone why Liverpool signed him from Roma for such a huge fee.
Look at the Bournemouth game.
Liverpool were under pressure and Evanilson got a dangerous flick towards goal. Alisson reacted brilliantly to keep it out.
Those saves can easily get forgotten when Liverpool win 1-0, but they are exactly why you want a goalkeeper like him.
Liverpool also have Giorgi Mamardashvili, which gives the club a potential long-term solution.
But that doesn’t mean Alisson has to be pushed towards the exit.
He’s 33.
That’s not ancient for a goalkeeper.
If Liverpool can keep him fit, I see no reason why he can’t continue playing at a very high level for several more years.
I’d rather have Alisson around while Mamardashvili continues developing than suddenly decide that the changing of the guard has to happen immediately.
And then there’s Virgil van Dijk
This one is even more interesting.
Virgil van Dijk is now 35, so naturally Liverpool have to think about how long he can continue playing at this level.
But Liverpool’s own figures tell you plenty about his importance.
He was the only outfield player to play every minute of the Premier League in 2025/26, and Liverpool describe him as one of the players who has underpinned the club’s modern success.
He’s also still the captain.
And that matters.
Look at the changes around him.
Ibrahima Konaté has gone. Jérémy Jacquet has arrived. Ronald Araújo is now at Liverpool on loan. There is a new manager and plenty of new players.
Yet van Dijk remains the man organising the defence.
He is the experienced head alongside younger players.
Araújo has already described van Dijk as a role model since joining Liverpool.
That’s not something you can simply replace by going into the transfer market and spending £60m on another centre-back.
You can replace a player.
Replacing his experience, leadership and understanding of Liverpool is a different matter.
Liverpool don’t need to choose between youth and experience
This is the bit I think gets lost whenever the age of a player becomes the main talking point.
Liverpool can plan for the future without throwing away the present.
That’s what I would be doing with Alisson and van Dijk.
Give them sensible contracts.
They don’t necessarily have to be three- or four-year deals. There could be shorter extensions, options or appearances-based arrangements.
There are plenty of ways Liverpool can protect themselves financially while keeping two players who are still contributing.
And they aren’t just hanging around because of their reputations.
They’re still playing.
Van Dijk remains Liverpool captain and started alongside Jérémy Jacquet in the new-look defence. Alisson remains part of the leadership group too, with Iraola naming him alongside van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Dominik Szoboszlai as Liverpool’s captains for 2026/27.
That tells you how the manager sees them.
We’ve already lost enough experience
Liverpool have said goodbye to some enormous figures recently.
Salah has gone.
Robertson has gone.
Trent has gone.
Konaté has gone.
The squad has changed dramatically.
At some point, you have to stop and ask whether you’re taking too much experience out of the dressing room at once.
That’s another reason I’d keep Alisson and van Dijk.
They know what Liverpool is about.
They know what it means to play at Anfield when the pressure is enormous.
They know what winning the Premier League feels like.
They know what Champions League nights feel like.
And they know exactly what is expected of a Liverpool player.
The younger players can learn from that.
Jacquet can learn from van Dijk.
Mamardashvili can learn from Alisson.
That’s valuable.
Judge them on their football
I’m not saying Liverpool should give either player a new contract simply because they are legends.
That would be the wrong reason.
Give them new contracts if they are still good enough.
And right now, I think they are.
There will eventually come a point when Liverpool have to move on from both.
That’s football.
But I don’t think we have reached that point yet.
If anything, the arrival of younger players around them makes keeping them for a little longer even more useful.
Liverpool don’t have to pick between building for tomorrow and competing today.
They can do both.
For me, the decision is pretty simple.
Keep Alisson. Keep Virgil van Dijk.
Give them contracts that make sense for everyone and let the younger players continue learning from two of the most important players Liverpool have had in the modern era.
Don’t get rid of great players just because they’re getting older.
Get rid of them when they’re no longer good enough.
I don’t think either of these two has reached that point yet.
By Jamie (The Kopite View)
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