Alexis Mac Allister - The quiet slide of a champion

As his father speaks out again, and with no contract talks in sight, it looks like a summer exit is inevitable

There is something oddly muffled about Alexis Mac Allister’s season. Not outrage, not scandal, just a slow erosion of certainty. A footballer once central to rhythm and control now feels peripheral to both, present without imprint, trusted without conviction.

He looks weary rather than careless, busy rather than sharp. The running is still there, the effort too, but the moments that once defined him have thinned out. Duels go unfinished, space closes before he can shape it, and games drift past him. You sense a player operating on memory as much as instinct.

The reasons are scattered, and none quite stick. Injuries that never properly cleared, summers that never allow for rest, a role stretched thin by a midfield that asks him to cover gaps rather than impose himself. Add the weight of endless football and the aftershock of a side learning to function without the certainties it once had, and you get fog rather than clarity.

What sharpens the unease is the silence. No noise around a new contract, no sense of urgency to tie down a World Cup winner entering what should be his peak. Instead, there are careful words from those close to him, prudent, open-ended, leaving doors ajar without touching the handle. His father, Carlos, certainly likes to speak:

“I have to be prudent. He plays for Liverpool now. In the future, if the opportunity arises and it’s appropriate, he’ll have to make his own decisions.”

“What I can say at the moment is that Alexis is focused on Liverpool and the current season. Alexis is very happy and comfortable at Liverpool.”

Fans argue over causes; some blame legs, some tactics, some temperament. All agree on one thing: Liverpool feel different when he plays poorly, and he has played poorly too often this season.

Form fades, reputations linger, but clubs plan coldly. With little sign of renewal and plenty of suggestion elsewhere, it feels like a summer parting is on the cards; all with the quiet inevitability that difficult decisions have already made.