Paul Joyce of The Times on the "continued impasse" the club has with Trent, Salah and VVD:
The Liverpool head coach Arne Slot said on Friday that there was no update on the future of VVD, Salah and TAA who are all out of contract at the end of this season. That situation, one inherited by the sporting director Richard Hughes, is far from ideal, and the overtures to other members of the squad are partly motivated by desire to prevent a similar scenario from materializing. (Source: ...https://youtu.be/ThJ7-bm5Z1I?t=94...)
Impasse: "A situation in which no progress is possible especially because of a disagreement or deadlock." Impossibility of progress, threfore.
(Source: ...https://youtu.be/ZjF5Q8GBU1c?t=325...)
Paul Joyce is a journalist that works for The Times and that is relatively well connected to the Liverpool Football Club - at least according to that fella from that source above. That means that the word IMPASSE was given to him by his connections at the club. That is the implication, and that is how these stories develop. The journalist has a conversation with someone from the club, and that someone tells the journalist whatever they are prepared and willing to publicly share. That is how information gets out and how stories get made.
The club, therefore, appears to send out a clear signal that VVD, Sala and TAA contracts will not be renewed. And the three of them appear to be a clique, meaning that they seek to collectively and together protect their interests and force the club into actions that they desire. The three of them seem to operate together. And the three of them appear to be talking to other players too, as all players do, and influencing them. Hence the club's discussions with Konate and Quansah. Sounds like a standoff (in addition to impasse) and it sounds like the club is itself willing to suggest as much.
It is important to note here that IT IS THE CLUB that has suggested that discussions with Konate and Quansah were commenced "partly" in order to "prevent a similar scenario from materializing." That is how the club wants that issue to be seen.
The club also appears to be sending out the message that Richard Hughes should not be held responsible for this situation given that he "inherited" it. The club seeks to protect Hughes. Why would the club seek to go out of its way to protect Hughes in this situation is perhaps curious/unclear? It seems like there could be some further information that could be unearthed regarding Hughes, his involvement, and his relationships/issues with what is going on in the Liverpool's dressing room. Seems like the club is seeking to forestall or preempt certain issues that it anticipates will arise in regard to Hughes and his involvement in this.
Either the club seeks to protect Hughes OR Hughes was BROUGHT IN to deal with this situation so that the person who IS responsible for it would be concealed and not face public scrutiny. If Hughes has inherited this situation then the very, very obvious question is: Who didn't inherit it? Who was involved in it?
In any case it IS curious that Liverpool Football Club proclaims that the person that is dealing with some situation has inherited it. As if though Liverpool has completely new owners who start working for the club and say that they have "inherited" many problems from the previous owners/managers. Owners (and management) cannot inherit problems that happened while they were owning (and managing) the club.
Hence this presents itself as a critical question: If Richard Hughes has inherited this situation who didn't inherit it? And THAT is the question that any credible journalist should have asked. Seems like FSG don't want to have Hughes, who has been recently acquired, tainted by this situation.
It seems that Liverpool owners have taken on some sort of a new or changed direction. Part of that new/changed direction has to do with Klopp being gone, new sporting director in, and now this impasse/standoff. Personally, I have no big qualms with them not wanting to sign Trent, Salah or VVD. Those are decisions on individual players subject to their age, form, and other things. But I do have an issue with them changing away from Jurgen Klopp. Why did that happen? Was it necessary? Was it related to this dressing-room issue with TAA, VVD, Salah? My personal and current best guess is that Klopp lost control of the dressing room, has had enough with TAA, VVD running things as they see fit, and has decided to resign. I think that those were the personal things that were too stressful for him.
