Ranking the contenders to become Liverpool's NEW vice-captain | OneFootball

Liverpool are not only losing a world-class performer when Trent Alexander-Arnold leaves, they are losing one of their leaders.

Promoted to the role of vice-captain back in 2023 under Jurgen Klopp, Trent was expected to be groomed for the full-time role with an expectation he would one day take over the top job from Virgil van Dijk.

But that is not going to happen. And Liverpool once again need to look for a leader to deputise for Van Dijk when he is unavailable.

Admittedly, that doesn’t happen very often. Over the course of two seasons, Alexander-Arnold only wore the armband on seven occasions - with Van Dijk again starting every Premier League game this term.

Other players in the current squad who have had the honour include Andy Robertson (7), Joe Gomez (6), Alisson Becker (3), Curtis Jones (3) and Mohamed Salah (2).

Liverpool's leaders

Are there any other contenders from within the squad who have proven themselves capable to do the job?

You could point immediately to Alexis Mac Allister - a World Cup winner at the prime of his career - or else Dominik Szoboszlai - Hungary’s international captain.

Mac Allister - unlike Robbo, Alisson or Salah - is still in his 20s and looks set to reign at the club for a long time to come. Moreover, he has been already promoted to the club’s “leadership group” this season.

Elsewhere, Wataru Endo is admired for his impact inside the dressing room and is Japan’s long-term captain. But he doesn’t play enough for the Reds.

Ibrahima Konate, Luis Diaz and Conor Bradley have also skippered their international sides.

On seniority - or games played - aside from those mentioned already, the most-seasoned campaigners are Diogo Jota (180 apps), Luis Diaz (142 apps), Harvey Elliott (140 apps) and Darwin Nunez (137 apps).

There is plenty of uncertainty around that group ahead of the summer transfer window and it would be unwise to select any of them until their futures are sorted out.

© IMAGO

Ranking the contenders

Robertson would appear to be a natural choice; he has been at the club since 2017. He’s played over 340 times for the Reds and captains Scotland on a regular basis.

But he’s only got one year on his contract. If he leaves next summer then Liverpool are once again in the same predicament they face this off-season.

Gomez is Liverpool’s longest-serving player other than youth graduate Jones - having seen the entire Jurgen Klopp era - but is uncertain of his status in the squad going forward.

There is every chance he leaves the club this summer as he has slipped down Arne Slot’s pecking order.

Alisson would be another easy choice at first glance; he’s coming up on 300 outings and has unrivalled experience and quality. But he misses too many matches.

Caoimhin Kelleher has played 20 times this season; deputies at other clubs don’t usually play that many games. Moreover, with Giorgi Mamardashvili arriving, will he even be first-choice next season?

Curtis Jones could follow in the footsteps of Steven Gerrard - as a homegrown midfielder with the armband - but cannot currently be assured of a place in the lineup.

© IMAGO - Curtis Jones Mo Salah Liverpool

It's time to promote Salah

The outstanding candidate after all of this is Mohamed Salah. He might have had a claim to the armband back in 2023 when Jordan Henderson left but Van Dijk got the job instead. That he has captained the team only twice in eight years is a bit of a shame.

He has long established his credentials as a leader in the Egypt set-up and leads by example at Anfield.

Indeed, Salah was left upset by Jurgen Klopp’s decision to give the armband to Alexander-Arnold for a Champions League game versus Midtjylland back in 2020. It meant a lot to him.

His new contract means - like Van Dijk - he will be around for another two seasons. And, similar to the Dutchman, he is robust and doesn’t miss many matches.

With nearly 400 games under his belt - and coming up on 250 goals - there can’t be anyone better than Salah to lead in Van Dijk’s absence.