Reasons Liverpool should retain Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah during significant summer transfer choices.

Rio Ferdinand has praised Liverpool for being “by far” the best team in the Premier League this season, emphasising the importance of retaining key players Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah as their contracts approach expiration.

While Arsenal currently sit in second place, Manchester City, the reigning champions for the past four seasons, find themselves languishing in fifth, a staggering 22 points adrift of Liverpool.

Speaking on TNT Sports’ The Breakdown: Premier League Special, Ferdinand remarked, “In the last couple of years, we’ve seen two teams at it going toe-to-toe, Man City and Arsenal, and they’ve built up big tallies. This season hasn’t been as close; Liverpool haven’t had that other challenger pushing them on. They’ve kind of run away with it, and it seems to have petered out now.”

Despite the lack of competition, Ferdinand insists that Liverpool deserve recognition for their dominance. “I think they’ve been the best team by far this season. They’ve had the most decisive player in the league, Mo Salah, and the best defender in Virgil van Dijk. I think that’s been a huge part of why they are where they are, and they’re running away with the league.”

However, the Reds have faced recent setbacks, being eliminated from the UEFA Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain and losing the Carabao Cup final to Newcastle United.

With Trent Alexander-Arnold also facing an uncertain future as his contract nears its end, Ferdinand was asked by host Darren Fletcher how he would approach the situation regarding Salah and Van Dijk if he were part of Liverpool’s boardroom.

“I would be saying ‘we’ve got to keep the pair of them’, to maintain the culture and the winning mentality and understanding how to get over the line,” Ferdinand stated. “A 32- and 33-year-old Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk are probably the two fittest in their positions around their age. They’ve got another three years at the top, no doubt.”

Ferdinand’s fellow TNT Sports analysts also underscored the significance of the upcoming summer transfer window.

“The summer is massive for them; they’ve got to bring players in, and they’ve got to tie up the contracts,” former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch noted.

Ally McCoist added, “I think there might be more questions over them next season than there were this season.”