Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected to join Real Madrid after confirming he is leaving Liverpool and that should be a concern
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot with Trent Alexander-Arnold(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
As one debate ends, another begins. With uncertainty surrounding Trent Alexander-Arnold’s future having now been concluded, speculation now centres on what becomes of the Liverpool defender during the final weeks of his Anfield career.
Should Arne Slot, as is expected, follow the Jurgen Klopp example, it appears absolutely out of the question the right-back will be sidelined for the remaining three games, despite approaching the end of his contract.
Nor is there any suggestion he won’t be part of the Premier League title parade on May 26. Alexander-Arnold has more than done his bit in ensuring a record-equalling 20th championship.
READ MORE: I’m really privileged to have been at Liverpool – leaving won’t hit home until I drive out for the final timeREAD MORE: Liverpool forced into unusual transfer move that Man City have spent millions on
How the outgoing right-back is received by the Liverpool fanbase, though, remains very much open to question, given the murmurs of discontent that have started to feature in the stands during recent weeks.
The unique challenges for a local player coming through the ranks to feature in the Liverpool first team are well established. A different set of rules apply compared to signings brought in from elsewhere.
However, should Alexander-Arnold be given a significantly frosty send-off, it seems unlikely any young hopefuls will be put off by the possible pitfalls that await breaking into the Liverpool first team. The dream of pulling on the Red shirt – which Alexander-Arnold has thus far done more than 350 times – will not be altered by anything that happens over the remainder of the month.
Real Madrid have yet to be mentioned by Alexander-Arnold, but there’s little doubt where he will be plying his trade next season. And that is what should give Liverpool specific cause for concern.
“I’m disappointed that, as a local player, he doesn’t think Liverpool are enough when they are winning,” says Anfield legend Jamie Carragher. “This Liverpool team is within the best five or six in Europe, just won the league.
“Liverpool could be on the verge of something special with the new manager. If I was in that position where I thought I could put Liverpool above Man United in league titles, an era of domination, get closer to Real Madrid – they are a rival of Liverpool in Europe. I’m disappointed that isn’t enough for him.”
Could Alexander-Arnold leaving be construed by potential transfer targets as Liverpool not having the same ambition? It’s a danger, albeit only a slight one. The greater worry, though, is the Reds are seeing one of their biggest talents leave for a direct rival.
No club is the ultimate destination. Each has its own story, many more significantly enchanting and emotive than that of Real Madrid. But the ill-fated galacticos experiment and the single-minded Florentino Perez era have strengthened the strange mythology surrounding the Bernabeu side.
Indeed, building that perception is perhaps Real Madrid’s greatest-ever achievement and brings with it a sense of entitlement. For the European Super League advocates, it’s baffling Alexander-Arnold would even have had any second thoughts about leaving Liverpool for the prospect of moving to the Spanish capital.
The fact is Real Madrid are in a group of successful, trophy-winning clubs of which Liverpool are very much a current part. The Reds, like their Spanish counterparts, are regularly challenging for the main domestic and European silverware.
That wasn’t the case when other Liverpool players previously left for the Bernabeu, most notably homegrown players Steve McManaman and Michael Owen, and Spain internationals Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa. Jerzy Dudek, the other player to move from Liverpool to Real Madrid, did so aged 34 as a reserve goalkeeper.
Losing a player to Real Madrid, then, is nothing new to Liverpool. The circumstances this time, however, are very different to what has gone before. The Reds will hope that doesn’t impact on what is to come this summer and beyond.