Van Dijk Says New Liverpool Leaders “Will Have to Step Up”

Whatever happens over the summer, following the departures of Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson Liverpool in 2026-27 will have almost no strong connections to the Jürgen Klopp era left at the club beyond Alisson Becker and captain Virgil van Dijk.

A handful of late period signings may remain, but the core that won so much and whose battles with Manchester City defined an era in the Premier League will be gone. The question now is what comes next, and who the leaders of a new-look Liverpool will be.

It’s a difficult question and, on after a highly disappointing season that has seen questions about leadership both on the pitch and from the coaching staff where it all must start for a successful side, the answers don’t seem entirely clear. At least from the outside.

“Players will have to step up,” Van Dijk said when asked about losing more of his long-time teammates and that seemingly uncertain future. “You grow into that role or you already have it in you but that is something we have to show even more next season.

“After the World Cup, in pre-season, it will be an interesting development in terms of how the manager sees the group as well, and then we have to tackle the season in the best way possible and not have a season like we have had this season again.”

It’s the players on the pitch who are always most visible whether one ask questions about performance or leadership, but the standards are ultimately set by the coaching staff—and in turn they’re working with the players given to them by the recruitment team.

On that front, there are questions about not just head coach Arne Slot’s ability for man management this season but also about the players signed last summer by directors Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards and if they would have made it in a Klopp-era squad.