Liverpool urged to make Alexis Mac Allister contract U-turn amid bigger Florian Wirtz problem

Liverpool have been urged to renew the contract of Alexis Mac Allister, who has been less responsible for Andoni Iraola's midfield problems than Florian Wirtz, according to South American football expert Tim Vickery.

Mac Allister's exceptional form in Liverpool's 2024-25 title-winning campaign gave way to a disappointing 2025-26 season on a personal level, a key factor in Liverpool's decision not to renew his deal.

The Argentina international revealed last month that the Reds were not in a position to extend his terms beyond 2028, but he has since shone for his club, scoring two goals and setting up one more in his last three appearances in all competitions.

Mac Allister also provided an assist for Lautaro Martinez in Argentina's 4-0 win over Bolivia during the international break, and his recent mini-revival has sparked suggestions that Liverpool could make a U-turn on their contract stance.

Speaking exclusively to Sports Mole, Vickery implored Liverpool to hand the "cracking" Mac Allister a contract extension and highlighted Wirtz's greater role in 'destabilising' the Reds' midfield.

Why "cracking" Alexis Mac Allister deserves new Liverpool contract

Tim Vickery Exclusive ? Why Liverpool MUST Make Alexis Mac Allister Contract U-Turn ??

"If I was in the position of Liverpool, I would be very keen to renew the contract of Alexis Mac Allister," Vickery said. "I think he’s someone who can make that midfield work.

"I remember when he came over from Argentina to Brighton, he was playing as a number 10, and you just couldn’t imagine him playing in that position in English football. He’s not quick enough.

"Brighton played him further back and he developed as a midfielder who can be important in all phases of play. There’s a cracking player there.

"Some of the recent problems of the Liverpool midfield, I think, maybe came from the signing of [Florian] Wirtz, because it went totally against what the team had been under Jurgen Klopp, and in the first season under Arne Slot, of not having a number 10.

"Klopp always used to say: 'Our number 10 is the collective press.' When they put Wirtz in, that destabilised the whole sector, with problems, I think, for all of the players who were there. But as Iraola builds a new midfield, to my mind, Mac Allister is, should be, and will be an integral part of it."

Mac Allister is expected to start for Liverpool in Sunday's Premier League showdown with Manchester City, for what would be his 158th appearance for the Merseyside giants in all tournaments since his 2023 arrival from Brighton & Hove Albion.

How big a problem is Florian Wirtz for Liverpool?

To some, it is no coincidence that Liverpool's downfall - at least in the 2025-26 campaign - came after Arne Slot and Richard Hughes splashed out £116m on Wirtz after Jurgen Klopp's no number-10 system.

The former Reds chiefs admittedly had to find solutions to the loss of Trent Alexander-Arnold, which deprived Liverpool of their chief creative outlet, and the club could not simply sign a like-for-like right-back replacement for the one-of-a-kind Englishman.

After registering 122 goal involvements in 197 Bayer Leverkusen games, Wirtz's total of seven goals and 11 assists in 55 Liverpool outings is underwhelming, but the 23-year-old's off-the-ball work still paints him in a positive light.

Wirtz has made 281 high pressures and 181 high pressures in the opposition half during the 2026-27 Premier League - no Liverpool player has registered more - but for a £100m+ playmaker, Reds fans are entitled to expect more than just relentless running.