Trent Alexander-Arnold’s 21-year stay at Liverpool ended in sour fashion as he joined Real Madrid this summer, and one former Red blames the club for not acting sooner
Former Liverpool full-back Glen Johnson has blamed the club for failing to tie Trent Alexander-Arnold down to a new deal prior to his Real Madrid transfer. The academy graduate ended his 21-year association with the Reds this summer and moved to Spain after failing to agree fresh terms.
Word first emerged in 2024 that Real were interested in signing the 26-year-old as a long-term solution at right-back. It was confirmed in May that two-time Premier League champion Alexander-Arnold would indeed leave Anfield, and Los Blancos snapped up his signature for £8.4million one month later.
Despite being born and raised in Liverpool, Alexander-Arnold was condemned by some sections of the Liverpool support. One fan went viral after posting a video burning the player’s No. 66 shirt, while Alexander-Arnold was booed by certain supporters before and during a clash against Arsenal in May.
But Johnson, who made 200 appearances for Liverpool between 2009 and 2015, has said it’s the club’s fault their star got away. And their failure to act sooner now means local lad Alexander-Arnold’s reputation has been tainted, as far as many supporters are concerned.
“It’s hard to say,” Johnson told Mirror Sport (via 888sport) when asked if he would have done the same in Alexander-Arnold’s shoes. “But look, if Madrid come for players, everyone’s ears prick up. And Trent’s won everything at Liverpool. He’s been there many years.
“I think Liverpool should never have allowed him to have that option. You know, he should have signed a deal two years before. And then we don’t have this conversation. So, you can’t blame the player when he hasn’t got a contract. What can he do?
“He hasn’t got a contract, and he’s four months away from signing for Real Madrid for free. Every player’s going to think, ‘Well, look, you should have given me a contract years ago and looked after me. And you haven’t.’ So, this is what happens.”
Liverpool also came dangerously close to seeing club stalwarts Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk also leave the club this summer. However, the Reds managed to tie down each of those talismans on new deals at the 11th hour.
Reports indicated Liverpool did try and convince Alexander-Arnold to stay with multiple contract offers. And it’s understood the player would have been one of the highest-earning full-backs in world football had he signed the best of those.
By then, though, it appears the damage was done after Real advanced their operation to recruit the England regular. And the promise of joining close pal and international team-mate Jude Bellingham in Spain’s capital apparently proved too tempting to turn down.
Liverpool’s infrastructure, recruitment and acumen in maintaining squad harmony has often been the envy of most other clubs over the past decade or so. Fenway Sports Group have repeatedly reaped the benefits of stellar appointments with managers, board members and backroom staff, revolutionising their status as regular title contenders as a result.
However, the case of Alexander-Arnold and how external forces were permitted to get their claws in may go down as one of their poorer case studies. And it’s Johnson’s belief a little more initiative in recognising the player’s value sooner could have avoided one of their most dramatic transfer sagas in the modern age.
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