There are some players that are intertwined in the fabric of a football club, as a result of their own individual greatness in combination with club success, that special decisions must be made.
When you look at the cases of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool, that is exactly what you get.
Salah has been setting records since he stepped foot in the door while the towering Dutchman has gone on to become the best defender in the world while at Liverpool.
Much of the speculation and stories around this legendary duo has focused on their dwindling contracts that expire this summer, meaning they could go wherever they so choose if allowed to depart.
There were moments of doubt I'm sure for us all, but reports from the likes of Paul Joyce and Fabrizio Romano have stated the pair are closing in on fresh deals with the Reds. An important aspect of this is the length of these new deals, which is said to be 2-year deals for each.
While nothing is confirmed, let's take a look at why these could be perfect for player and club.
Short-Term Liverpool Stability
While there will inevitably be big changes this summer, particular in the form of Trent Alexander-Arnold potentially taking his talents to Spain, Liverpool retaining their two best players provides a lot of security.
While it will be interesting to see which players do come and go, the club will have their two cornerstones and talisman for the immediate future.
At a club that has ambitions of challenging on all fronts every season, this high-level foundation cannot be understated one bit.
Having two players of this caliber in the lineup on a consistent basis only makes everyone else around them better, and that should only encourage positive changes in terms of player development.
The club bringing these two back ensures there is not going to be drastic shift in expectations or demands, as Salah and van Dijk will surely be buoyed to kick on from here.
It allows the pair of them to keep chasing history
At least two more seasons at the club means Salah has hopefully 50+ matches each of the next two seasons to continue climbing the scoring charts, assisting charts and more at Liverpool.
Van Dijk, the Captain, will be at the helm once again as he leads a revamped Reds squad into what will be his second Premier League title defense as a Liverpool player, but first as captain.
At this point, this dynamic pair will have won every trophy on offer to the players and club, including two league titles, the holy grail of English football. If they could potentially secure one or even two more, it would go a long way to entrenching them in the upper annals of this club's rich history.
Appearances, goals, assists, clean sheets, wins, silverware and more are all going to be on offer over the next two seasons and with these two around, it's all still for the taking.
Neither player has shown huge signs of slowing down with age, so there should be no doubts they will be able to maintain at least close to their current levels through 2027.
It gives Slot time to build for the future
Instead of Slot and his team having to deal with seismic changes at the club and rebuilding his squad from a whole new cast, he now has two elite leaders, stopgaps and just great players to lean on during this now mini-transition.
He can take more chances with other players, perhaps Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott, knowing he has the two faces of the club around to cover the cracks as needed.
It also gives him and the club more time to be thorough in their search for the eventual heirs at both centre-back and right wing.
There is now no immediate rush to cram it all in one summer, but if a good offer comes they can truly analyze it and make sure it's the right move for everyone involved.
The core of this squad is still there, with Cody Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister, Ibrahima Konate and Ryan Gravenberch just entering or already in their primes to join van Dijk and Salah.
2 year extensions are mutually beneficial for club and player so this has all the makings of a true better late than never win-win situation.