Liverpool will head into December still unsure over whether Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah or Trent Alexander-Arnold will be at the club next season.
While things are continuing along excellently on the pitch, the tension is beginning to rise off it.
Understandably frustrated at the situation, Liverpool supporters are starting to get impatient.
As reports continue that Alexander-Arnold could leave for Real Madrid, for example, fans do not know where they stand.
And while the players themselves have so far been a little immune to criticism as a result of good performances, the Liverpool owners have had no such lenient treatment.
As the situation continues to develop, former Reds winger John Barnes has sent a message to supporters.
John Barnes sends ‘disrespectful’ plea
In some ways, Van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold and Salah have been lucky that the start has been as good as it has under Arne Slot.
Of course, the three players have all contributed to that, with Van Dijk and Salah in particular turning in some excellent performances.
And as the players can do no wrong right now, much of the supporters’ ire at not getting the contracts sorted has been aimed at Liverpool themselves.
Speaking on TalkSPORT on Saturday, though, Liverpool legend Barnes urged fans not to be ‘disrespectful’ towards the club during what is a difficult moment.
“I always say to the fans, support the club, if you trust the club,” says the 61-year-old. “Yes support the players, but players will come and players will go, they have done in the past. You have to trust the club enough that they’re doing everything they can to keep them.
“The fans shouldn’t be holding the club to ransom and being disrespectful to the club if a player leaves,” Barnes adds.
Virgil van Dijk contract a matter of ‘when’ not ‘if’
When players’ contracts get down to so little time being left on them, probably 90 times out of 100 they end up leaving.
Liverpool supporters have seen this happen too many times in recent memory, with the likes of Roberto Firmino, Gini Wijnaldum, Naby Keita, Divock Origi and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain leaving for nothing.
As a result, the fanbase are a little scarred, and you can understand why.
Nevertheless, Rousing The Kop understands that at least one of this current trio is likely to stay at Anfield.
It’s understood that Van Dijk signing a new contract is now seen as a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if’. Until everything is signed and sealed something could of course go wrong, but the captain is understood to be on the verge of everything being agreed.
