Glen Johnson played right-back for Liverpool and knows a good midfielder when he sees one, which is why he is struggling to understand the club's position on Alexis Mac Allister. The Argentina international is a regular starter, a World Cup winner and, by Johnson's reckoning, someone other top clubs would bite your arm off to sign. Yet Liverpool have declined to give him a new contract.
What Johnson said
Speaking in an interview with Betfred, Johnson said he is surprised the deal has not been renewed. His case is simple. Mac Allister is always solid, never terrible, and a great player in Liverpool's team. Johnson also pointed out that the midfielder has said openly that he wants fresh terms because other players have had theirs renewed, and that he is clearly as shocked as everybody else.
The former defender left himself a little room, admitting there may be internal information the public does not have. But as a pure football argument he was blunt. If a player is good enough to start every week, he said, the club should want to keep him.
Where the contract stands
Mac Allister is 27 and signed a five-year deal when he arrived from Brighton in 2023, so he is tied to Anfield until June 2028. Goal.com reports that he turned down a summer exit and has four goals in 13 appearances this season. In September he revealed he was very, very sad after being told the club were not in a position to offer an extension, and it stung more because Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, his midfield partners, have both signed new long-term deals.
The picture behind the scenes is less comfortable. Citing Sky Sports Switzerland, Goal says Liverpool's recruitment staff have told the player they plan to bring in at least one marquee midfielder at the end of the season, which means his request will be turned down. The club are said to be leaning towards selling him in the summer of 2027.
Still needed on the pitch
None of that has changed his standing with Andoni Iraola for now. Mac Allister came off the bench in Wednesday's Carabao Cup shootout win over Chelsea and is expected to return to the starting line-up for the meeting with Arsenal on Sunday, as Liverpool try to stretch a five-match winning run against the reigning champions.
Liverpool are entitled to plan for the long term, and selling a player with two years left is sensible business. The risk is the one Johnson hints at: a midfield engine who starts every week is not easy to replace with a single signing, and a player who knows his future has been decided may not stay as happy as the club hopes.
Transfer context: Alexis Mac Allister, 27, Liverpool midfielder, joined from Brighton in 2023 on a five-year deal that runs to June 2028. Four goals in 13 appearances this season. Reported plan to sell in the summer of 2027, per Goal.com citing Sky Sports Switzerland.
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