Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk new deals 'massive', but calling Liverpool season disappointing 'an outrage' - Peter Crouch
ByOli Gent
Published 12/04/2025 at 20:02 GMT+1
Peter Crouch has criticised any fans labelling Liverpool's season as a disappointment. The Reds are set to win back the Premier League title in Arne Slot's first season in charge, with the Dutchman seamlessly taking to the hot seat from his predecessor Jurgen Klopp. Crouch also called Mohamed Salah's new contract a "big statement", and said that Virgil van Dijk doing similar would be "massive".
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TNT Sports expert Peter Crouch says that it is an "outrage" if critics deem Liverpool’s season as a disappointment.
The Reds are on course to lift the Premier League title in Arne Slot’s first term at the helm, with the Dutchman overseeing a potentially tricky transition from Jurgen Klopp’s stellar nine-year tenure at Anfield.
Slot, who joined Liverpool from Feyenoord last summer, has steered the Merseyside outfit to the top of the Premier League table, where they sit 10 points clear of Arsenal with seven games left to play.
They can extend that lead to 13 points should they beat West Ham United on Sunday, after Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by Brentford on Saturday evening.
Crouch could not believe anyone would view Liverpool’s season as a "disappointment" despite their lack of success in cup competitions.
The Reds recently suffered defeat in the Carabao Cup final versus Newcastle United, and exited the UEFA Champions League at the last-16 stage at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain on penalties.
Liverpool were also stunned in the third round of the FA Cup by Championship side Plymouth Argyle.
"You’ve got to remember how long it took them to win the Premier League," Crouch said.
"The title is a hard, hard thing to win. Man City have made it look easy in the past few years, but it’s an incredibly hard thing to do.
"People talk about it being a disappointment, winning the Premier League? That’s an absolute outrage.
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"They’ve worked so hard and put themselves in a position where they are almost there, and then it’ll be an amazing season."
Their most recent outing in the league saw Liverpool suffer a shock defeat to Fulham at Craven Cottage.
"Over the course of a season, you’re going to have bumps in the road," Crouch said.
"Liverpool have been flawless for most of the season. You can count the league losses on one hand. They’ve been absolutely amazing, but sometimes you run out of steam a little bit.
"It’s been pretty rocky recently with the Carabao Cup loss, going out of the Champions League, and the Fulham loss, but they have the quality to bounce back and they’ll finish the season in style."
'Massive' to keep Salah and Van Dijk
Mohamed Salah ended all debate over his future when he penned a new two-year deal to extend his stay at Anfield until 2027, and it is widely reported that Virgil van Dijk, who is also out of contract this summer, will follow suit.
Crouch said that it was "massive" for The Reds to keep both key men at the club.
"Any time you’ve got those two players in your team, you’ve got a chance," he said.
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"Van Dijk’s been instrumental and Mo Salah, especially this season, is breaking every record. He’s cemented his place as a true legend at Liverpool. It’s a real statement for Liverpool to keep Salah.
"They would have had to fork out quite a bit, I imagine, but it was a great investment. He’s fit as a fiddle, he looks sharp still. He’s definitely got two more years in him."
Crouch, who scored 42 goals in 135 appearances during his time at Anfield, believes that both Salah and Van Dijk are "up there" with some of the greatest names in Liverpool and Premier League history when it comes to legendary status.
"There’s been so many legends at Liverpool over the years, but they’ve got to be in the top 10," Crouch said.
"Salah is up there [with top goalscorers]. Ian Rush is probably the greatest goalscorer that Liverpool have had, but Salah is up there."
On the club's great defenders, Crouch continued: "[Mark] Lawrenson and [Alan] Hansen were before my time, [Jamie] Carragher is a club legend, and Sami Hyypia are the ones I played with. From what I’ve seen, Van Dijk would be No. 1.
"When you look at Premier League greats, longevity plays a role. The longer you stay, the more of a legend you become. If they keep hitting the same levels, they’ll be right up there in the list."
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When looking ahead at the summer transfer window, Crouch thinks that Slot does need to be backed in the transfer market to reinforce his squad.
"I think they do need to make some signings," the former striker said. "The biggest signings are Salah and Van Dijk. Keeping them at the club is key.
"There is certainly some strengthening needed, but what a manager they’ve got. It couldn’t have gone any smoother, [bridging] the gap Jurgen Klopp left behind."
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