‘We are all aware…’ – Slot frankly addresses Curtis Jones’ situation after recent exit rumours
Arne Slot has said that it would’ve been a ‘strange’ decision by Liverpool if they had sold Curtis Jones in the January transfer window amid speculation over a potential mid-season exit.
The 25-year-old was the subject of reported interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan in recent weeks, with Fabrizio Romano even claming (via X) that the Serie A giants had entered ‘direct club-to-club talks’ with Anfield chiefs.
The midfielder has just under a year-and-a-half remaining on his current contract in L4, and David Lynch claimed this week that he’d be ‘surprised’ if our number 17 penned a new deal, having potentially had his head turned by interest from elsewhere.
Slot speaks out about Jones transfer speculation and contract
In his press conference on Thursday morning ahead of Liverpool’s game against Manchester City, Slot was asked about Jones’ standing within the squad and the club.
The head coach replied (via Liverpool Echo): “He has played a lot of minutes and has been unlucky in the sense that midfield is the only line where we haven’t had injuries.
“We kept him because we have players but we need players in these positions. At the moment we need to start midfielders in different positions, so that line gets smaller and smaller.
“We kept him; his situation hasn’t changed to us. He is one of 16 outfield players we have avialable, with two young players in Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha, so it would be strange if we let anyone go.”
When asked if he’s determined to keep Jones at the club in the long-term, Slot answered: “Talks are not taking place here. Talks are taking place in other places in this building. The moment we have any news, we’ll share it here. We are all aware that he has only 18 months left, so that’s all I can say.”
Liverpool couldn’t countenance selling Jones…but what about his long-term future?
Given the spate of injuries with which Liverpool have had to contend, especially in defence, they weren’t in a position to sanction any first-team exits in the January transfer window.
They certainly didn’t have the scope to part with Jones, who’s made 30 appearances in total this term (17 starts) and is capable of deputising at right-back if required, with Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley both being plagued by injury problems.
Even amid the most competitive area of the pitch in terms of squad selection, the 25-year-old has been a regular starter and rarely misses a game, which underlines how highly he’s valued by Slot.
Whether he remains with his boyhood club in the long-term is another matter. According to figures from Capology, his weekly wage of £50,000 is the joint-lowest in the Liverpool first team when excluding academy players and those who rarely even make the substitutes’ bench.
With Jones’ contract expiring next year, a significant decision will need to be made in the coming months. So long as the Toxteth lad continues to feature regularly under Slot, we hope that he’ll ultimately decide to renew his commitment to the Reds for his prime footballing years.
To that end, it’s crucial that the Anfield hierarchy present him with a deal which accurately reflects his importance to the club.
You can watch Slot’s full pre-Manchester City press conference below, via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:
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