The right-back is wanted at Santiago Bernabeu, but it's telling that he still dreams of captaining his hometown club
Trent Alexander-Arnold is understandably growing weary of all of the incessant and intense speculation surrounding his future. "Look," the Liverpool right-back told reporters on Saturday, "I have been at the club for 20 years now. I have signed four or five contract extensions and none of those have been played out in public. This one won't be either."
Unfortunately, that's wishful thinking on Alexander-Arnold's part. He may be admirably reluctant to make a big deal out of the fact that his current deal expires at the end of the season – or talk openly about the precise nature of the negotiations (if indeed there are any right now!) – but Alexander-Arnold's situation is a topic of constant discussion in and around Anfield right now.
And how could it not be? He is Liverpool's local lad made not just good – but great. Indeed, shortly before speaking to the press after the 3-0 win over Bournemouth, Alexander-Arnold registered his 100th goal involvement for the Reds. Of greater significance, though, is the fact that in precisely 100 days he’ll be free to speak with Real Madrid about joining Jude Bellingham at Santiago Bernabeu next summer.
What chance, then, do Liverpool have of holding onto their beloved homegrown hero, given the longer this drags on, the more likely it seems that Alexander-Arnold will leave Anfield?…
Getty Images Sport'I want to win trophies'
While Alexander-Arnold has never expressed any desire to actually leave Liverpool, he did admit on Saturday that the prospect of success will be the determining factor in his decision over his future. "The most important thing is always trophies," he said. "I want to win trophies, I am a player who is highly motivated by trophies and winning things and being elite… That is what drives me."
It's, thus, easy to understand why he would be interested in joining Madrid, who have won more European Cups than any other club. They are footballing royalty, a team that nearly every elite player dreams of joining – as Liverpool know only too well. Academy graduates Steve McManaman and Michael Owen both found the lure of Madrid impossible to resist.
McManaman had his issues with Liverpool ahead of his exit on a Bosman in 1999 – he felt underappreciated, underpaid and was annoyed by the presumption that he would eventually extend his expiring contract just because he was a Scouser – but he was also seduced by the allure of "that white kit, Di Stefano, Puskas and all of that history".
AdvertisementGetty'Regret this forever if I say no'
Owen was just as excited by the prospect of moving to Madrid, but "didn't sleep for a week before" leaving Liverpool, so torn was he over turning his back on the club that had launched him towards superstardom.
"Even on the drive to the airport, I was crying my eyes out, I don't mind telling you," the Ballon d'Or winner told GOAL. "Because you think you're going to be a Liverpool player for life. But then you think, 'Oh my God, it's Real Madrid – I'll regret this forever if I say no.' It was a chance to experience a different league, a different country, a different language, a different culture.
"It was about being able to play in that famous white kit, to play in the Bernabeu, to play with (Zinedine) Zidane, (Luis) Figo, (David) Beckham, Roberto Carlos. But even then, two seconds later I was thinking, 'No, I want to be at Liverpool for the rest of my life.' So, it was just one of those really tough, life-changing calls."
Alexander-Arnold is now facing just as momentous a decision.
'Not sure he likes Trent'
Much has obviously been made of the recent change of coach at Anfield, with Arne Slot having replaced Jurgen Klopp at the helm during the summer – and that's understandable to a degree. The charismatic Klopp didn't just give Alexander-Arnold his debut, he made him a key player in one of the finest Liverpool teams of all time.
Despite the versatile defender's obvious world-class qualities, there were no guarantees that Alexander-Arnold would be just as integral a member of Slot's side, and eyebrows were raised when he was taken off in the closing stages of each of Liverpool's first three games of the new Premier League season, particularly as the 25-year-old looked so upset by his withdrawal against Brentford.
Graeme Souness interpreted the early exits as a sign that Alexander-Arnold may have already made his mind up to join Madrid and that Slot was, thus, prepping Conor Bradley to take over at right-back next season, while Paul Scholes even went so far as to say of the Dutch coach, "I'm not sure if he likes Trent."
Nothing could be further from the truth, though. Rather than hurting Liverpool's hopes of holding onto Alexander-Arnold, Slot's arrival may have actually boosted them.
GettySlot's 'refreshing' approach
Alexander-Arnold is his own harshest critic, which is really saying something given we're talking about the most scrutinised defender in world football over the past five years. His crossing and passing are always acknowledged, but every perceived positional error is pored over in the press, whereas English right-back rivals Reece James, Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker so often get off lightly.
Even when he performs his defensive duties diligently – as he did against Rafael Leao in last week's Champions League win at AC Milan – he is rarely lauded for that side of his game. It doesn't seem to bother him too much, though, which shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, in fairness, as this is an ambitious young man who more interested in improvement than praise.
Consequently, he even went so far as to request that Slot be brutally honest with him at all times.
"We kind of talked about targets and aims and I said to him that I would like to be the defender that no-one wants to come up against in Europe," Alexander-Arnold revealed on Saturday. "If any time an attacker gets by me and gets past me, he will call it out in meetings and individual meetings and say 'This cannot happen.'
"So, we go through every game together and he highlights where he wants me to improve. Even in the Milan game, we had about 20 clips going through what I could have done better and the good parts as well. It is really refreshing to have a manager who will help, guide and teach me how to be better as a player. I am someone who wants to learn, someone who wants to be the best and someone who strives to be the best ever."