Brendan Rodgers has moved to ease the pain of Liverpool's opening-day Premier League defeat by securing the future of centre-half Martin Skrtel.
Skrtel last night signed a contract extension which will increase his salary to around 70,000 pounds a week at Anfield and is understood to commit him to the Merseyside club for another four years.
The Slovakian had two years left on a 50,000 pounds-per-week deal, but there had been interest in him from several Champions League clubs at the end of last season.
"After last season there was a lot of talk about my future but I have to say that the first priority for me was always to sign a new deal with Liverpool," said Skrtel.
Liverpool find themselves in a new landscape where they are increasingly forced to fend off interest in their top stars from those clubs who are competing for league titles and the top European prize, something Rodgers cannot offer at present.
To tie down Skrtel on the back of Luis Suarez's new deal last week is reassuring, and if no mega offer arrives for Daniel Agger in the next 10 days he is likely to be next to sign an extension after the closure of the transfer window.
Liverpool will not appeal against the red card given to Agger at the Hawthorns, despite the Dane's protestations about the validity of his dismissal.
Agger will miss this weekend's visit to Anfield of Manchester City, the club whose interest in the player was rebuffed earlier this month.
