Joe Allen Still in Contract Limbo

In between the disappointment of Liverpool's loss to Swansea on Sunday and the nausea-inducing anxiety of Thursday's second leg Europa League semi-final match against Villareal, Jürgen Klopp quietly slipped in a Joe Allen contract update that was as wee as the man in question.

"I will talk about Joe's future, 100 per cent, but not in a press conference at Swansea," Klopp said. "Everything is fine. He is in good shape and everything is fine."

It's been Klopp's position for months now that the Welshman's contract would get a look once the season is over, and it's a reasonable position for the manager to take as he asseses his options ahead of his first summer transfer season at Liverpool. But for the player it must still be a bit of a disappointment, with contract talks having gone cold last year and unhelpful speculation by club legends feeding the idea that this could be Allen's last season in Liverpool red.

January saw reports that the midfielder was free to find a new club in the summer, followed by an apparent bid from Swansea to take the player on loan for the rest of the season. Since then, Allen has regularly made the most of his minutes whenever afforded them, despite most of those minutes coming from substitute appearances until injuries in midfield required that Klopp include him in the starting line up more regularly.

For fans of the diminutive midfielder, it will be disappointing though perhaps understandable on the part of all parties should be end up departing the club. But with everything being "fine" and Allen putting in performances that have changed the complexion of more than one game, many hope he'll still be a Liverpool player come September.