‘Very important…’ – Andoni Iraola responds to ‘sad’ Alexis Mac Allister contract admission

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September 8th 2026, 15:20 Images via Liverpool FC on YouTube Andoni Iraola has responded to comments from Alexis Mac Allister about the midfielder’s contract situation at Liverpool.The Argentina international told the media on Tuesday that he was ‘very sad’ at not being offered a new deal by the club in recent months and had ‘options to leave’ in the summer, amid rumours of interest from Manchester City and Chelsea.The Reds’ head coach was inevitably asked about the bombshell statement from our number 10, and he naturally sought to defuse a potentially explosive topic.Iraola: Mac Allister is ‘very important’ to LiverpoolIraola answered (via Liverpool Echo): “We all have responsibilities and contracts with a club. We have time to talk about those contract situations.”When the 44-year-old was asked if he’d spoken to Mac Allister about his contract, he replied: “No.

I try to help all my players. I hope I can improve my players so I can help them win games.

I hope I can help him to improve. Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trustMac Allister showing positive signs in recent gamesThe Argentine had to be content with an appearance off the bench against Newcastle in the season opener but has started the subsequent two games under Iraola, and he put in an impressive shift during the win over Ipswich last Friday.The Liverpool Echo‘s Theo Squires wrote of how Mac Allister ‘won the ball back repeatedly during a mature performance’ at Portman Road and offers the Reds an ideal balance when partnered with Dominik Szoboszlai in midfield.The 27-year-old was well below his best in the 2025/26 campaign but has shown signs of improvement at the beginning of this term, and in the absence of a natural starting no.6, Iraola will be replying on the former Brighton man to perform consistently in the engine room over the next few months.If Mac Allister can do just that, he may yet convince the club’s hierarchy to offer him a new deal, hopefully paving the way for him to commit to Liverpool for the foreseeable future.We all know just how magnificent the Argentine can be, so let’s hope he shows it on a consistent basis throughout the season.