Boyhood Red Trent Alexander-Arnold is now closer to Liverpool’s exit door than ever before, with Real Madrid looking likely to add yet another big name to their Galactico roster
Local lad Trent Alexander-Arnold finally looks set to swap the familiar surroundings of Anfield for the bright, white lights of the Bernabeu with his contract running down.
Liverpool’s star full-back has been a Red since the age of six, rising through their academy ranks – while being named captain at U16 and U18 level – to become an integral part of a Champions League and Premier League-winning side. However, the manager who allowed him to blossom on Merseyside into a trophy-winner, Jurgen Klopp, has since found pastures new, and while progress has been evident under Arne Slot, change now looms.
Alexander-Arnold’s contract expires in the summer, and this has long seen Real Madrid sniff around, attempting to lure the 26-year-old on a free transfer.
With reports now suggesting that this long-standing interest is to materialise into a deal, Mirror Football takes a look back along the road that has led to the defender’s decision – including the Englishman’s tears when his German mentor departed, one shattering announcement, and the issues he’s faced under his current manager.
Tears during Klopp’s goodbye
With reports from Sky Sports Switzerland claiming that Alexander-Arnold has made up his mind and will turn down any approaches from Liverpool regarding contract renewal in favour of a blockbuster move to Madrid, the origins of such a desire to fly the nest may have begun when another left Anfield.
Having been appointed in 2015, Klopp quickly took a lacklustre Reds squad to the brink of European glory and went one better with a Champions League win in 2019. Seven more pieces of silverware would follow, but a shock January 2024 statement revealed he would step down from his post at the season’s end.
The German’s Anfield curtain call came with a 2-0 win against Wolves last May, and Alexander-Arnold’s visibly emotional reaction perhaps foreshadowed him becoming unsettled.
“I’ve been a big part and felt a big part of it. The manager’s made me feel a big part of it,” Alexander-Arnold told ViaPlay, while moved to tears. “I’ve developed as a man, as a player, under his guidance.
“None of this is possible without him. There’s not much you can say for a person who’s made everything come true for you. He’s changed my life, and everyone around me, my whole family. This was all possible through him.
“I can never say thank you enough for that. He made my dreams come true. Ask my family, ask anyone. I’m not emotional. I can’t remember the last time I cried! Honestly, I haven’t cried in years. So this is very strange for me. It just shows how much he means to me and the club.”
The announcement that ‘shook’ him
While the emotional goodbye evidently moved Alexander-Arnold, Klopp’s initial earth-shattering revelation that he would be departing Liverpool caught the dismayed defender off guard.
“Just a complete surprise to all of us as players. It was one that we didn’t see coming. You never do, especially when things are going so well,” Alexander-Arnold told Sky Sports when queried on Klopp breaking the news to his players.
“We were flying, up and around the top of the league. We’re fighting on all four fronts at that point for every trophy we could so you’re expecting the good times to keep coming and coming and coming.
“So when he tells us the news and his decision, we have got to respect it obviously, but it’s one of them no player wants to hear, and it was one that kind of shook the dressing room for a couple of hours.”
Discord with Slot
The loss of Klopp evidently hit Alexander-Arnold hard, but the man who replaced him, Slot, has taken to the Anfield hot seat like a duck to water. Though the hope of multiple trophies has dissipated, the Dutchman’s men are well in the driving seat when it comes to delivering a Premier League title.
Success on the pitch hasn’t quelled the 26-year-old’s yearning, however, and a heated moment from Slot’s fleeting stages may illuminate such lingering frustrations.
In a 2-0 win over Brentford in August, the right-back was hauled off just after the 70-minute mark for Conor Bradley. He proceeded to slump in the dugout after a discordant conversation with Slot and looked a vexed figure at full-time.
“He didn’t look that happy after being taken off – I understand,” admitted Slot in his post-match press conference. “Every player wants to play 90 minutes. But the players on the bench from the start were also not really happy with my choices.”
It must be said that Alexander-Arnold has been incredibly complimentary of his new manager’s tactics throughout what has been a wildly impressive debut campaign. But, the change that arrived when Klopp departed perhaps has never been shaken, and the ‘Scouser in our team’ now looks likely to follow the German onto new beginnings.
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