Three things I want to see from Liverpool Football Club in 2025

The new year brings new goals and some familiar ones as well. My list of what I want for and from the Reds is quite simple.

Liverpool FC v Leicester City FC - Premier League
Liverpool FC v Leicester City FC - Premier League | Jan Kruger/GettyImages

2024 was a year that was filled with plenty of highs and lows for the Reds; let’s flip the calendar over and look ahead to some things I’d love to see the club accomplish to make for a stellar 2025.

3. Settling the Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk contract saga

Now that the new year has officially begun, so has the January transfer period, and it’s already been filled with rumors and headlines that have been unpleasant for LFC fans to read.

It appears that Liverpool have already turned down an approach from Real Madrid to poach Trent Alexander-Arnold from the club in the January window, as they obviously cannot let one of world football’s elite passers walk away in the middle of a title charge.

Especially under Arne Slot’s system, which has proven to heavily rely on Trent’s killer crosses in the final third and on the counter-attack, the Academy product will be a crucial player for the rest of the season and hopefully for seasons to come.

Arne Slot, Trent Alexander-Arnold
West Ham United FC v Liverpool FC - Premier League | Marc Atkins/GettyImages

While the argument that Trent could win lots of trophies with Real Madrid is certainly valid, Arne Slot has completely surpassed any expectations people have had for this team, and I legitimately believe that Liverpool could establish a mini-dynasty while this group of first-team players are still together.

A move to join Los Blancos must be tempting, but Trent can also establish himself as a bonafide club icon with the likes of Steven Gerrard and Ian Rush if he were to see out the remainder of his prime with Liverpool and win even more in the future.

The heart of the backline, Virgil van Dijk, has also not signed a contract extension yet, and his departure from the club would likewise be devastating despite his growing age.

The Dutchman is still showing that he’s one of the best defenders in the world this season, captaining a Liverpool defense that has locked up opponents' attacks consistently, even displaying his playmaking abilities as he’s completed the most passes of any player in the Premier League this season.

Virgil van Dijk, Patson Daka
Liverpool FC v Leicester City FC - Premier League | Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/GettyImages

A stalwart that has shined with the Reds for well over a half-decade at this point, van Dijk is still proving his worth and also can play the important role of being a strong mentor for younger defenders at the club.

Obviously these hopes also include getting another certain player’s contract done and dusted, but what I really want to see for him is…

2. Mo Salah winning the Ballon d’Or

Mohamed Salah has been, in my opinion, one of the most consistently under-appreciated and disrespected footballers in the world, but it seems that people have had no choice but to acknowledge Salah’s greatness this season.

Let’s call it like it is–the global soccer community seems to think that Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior, undoubtedly a brilliant player in his own right, was “robbed” of the Ballon d’Or after posting 32 goals and assists over the course of his entire 2023-2024 La Liga and Champions League campaigns.

Sure, the trophies helped his case along with missing time due to injury, but Salah has run laps around these numbers.

The Egyptian King has an almost incomprehensible 37 goals and assists in the 2024-2025 Premier League and Champions league seasons and January has only just started; he’s simply on another planet at the moment.

Mohamed Salah
West Ham United FC v Liverpool FC - Premier League | Richard Pelham/GettyImages

Salah even nabbed 37 goals and assists in the Premier League and Europa League in 2023-2024, which was considered a “down year” for him and the club, but still surpassed Vinicius' aforementioned tally; Salah has somehow still never finished in the top four of Ballon d’Or rankings.

He’s already brushed off whatever strange superstitions came with posting a Christmas photo on social media after bagging a goal against Leicester on Boxing Day and eviscerating the West Ham defense for a goal and two assists right before the new year, and Salah should be able to keep up his torrid form well into 2025.

Next, Salah faces his all-time favorite Premier League opponents, Manchester United, at Anfield on Sunday.

I would be quite surprised if he didn’t add at least one more to his 18 career goal contributions against the Red Devils, starting off 2025 perfectly.

According to its own guidelines, “The Ballon d'Or rewards the best male and female players in the world, without distinction of championship or nationality;" Mo Salah is simply the best player in the world at the moment, and I expect him to be the best for the rest of this campaign as well.

1. Liverpool winning the Premier League or (but, preferably, and) Champions League

Having your cake and eating it too is always the dream, but realistically, even if Liverpool were to win one of the two major trophies they’re in contention for, I would be very satisfied.

As they’ve been for a large chunk of the season, Liverpool are still atop both the Premier League and Champions League tables, proving they very well could accomplish this stellar double.

They’re also not just beating opponents across all competitions this season; they’re smashing them. Liverpool can claim to have scored the most goals (45) and conceded the fewest (17, tied with Arsenal) in the Premier League AND conceded the fewest goals in the Champions League (1, tied with Inter Milan).

Mohamed Salah
Girona FC v Liverpool FC - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD6 | Eric Alonso/GettyImages

The Premier League is, of course, far from decided and has witnessed dramatic twists at the top in the past, but with a six-point lead and a game in hand over Arsenal—who have struggled to clinch the title despite having strong squads in recent years—things are looking *profusely knocking on wood as I’m typing* quite good for the Reds.

So good, in fact, that Opta Analyst’s recent projection has given Liverpool an 89.9% chance to win the Premier League this season.

If they can stay healthy and stay on the course that boss Arne Slot has charted for them, Liverpool will be champions of English football for the first time since 2019-2020.

Fans should keep in mind that the Champions League knockout stages can be fluky; with only two games per tie, the margin for error is far smaller than the 38-game Premier League season.

Just two poor performances could end Liverpool's European campaign, especially with formidable teams like Barcelona also in excellent form.

But if Liverpool can navigate the uniquely challenging competition they face at this moment, the Reds could claim both the Premier League and Champions League titles in the same season for the first time since their legendary 1983-1984 campaign, sending fans into sheer ecstasy. Sounds nice, doesn’t it?

Other trophies such as the FA Cup and EFL Cup, both of which Liverpool are competing for as well, would be nice to win, but at the end of the day, the two biggies are the ones that get really remembered; and Liverpool have shown they have the pedigree to etch their name into English and/or European history.