John Aldridge has questioned why Liverpool didn’t tie Trent Alexander-Arnold down to a new contract two years ago.
Alexander-Arnold is almost certain to join Real Madrid on a free transfer when his current deal expires in June. Multiple outlets claim the 26-year-old defender, who is Liverpool’s vice captain and has been at the club for 21 years, has agreed a move to Spain.
Alexander-Arnold’s impending exit is a bitter blow for Liverpool. The Reds are losing a player worth tens of millions of dollars for nothing to a major European rival. Madrid defeated Alexander-Arnold’s Liverpool in the 2018 and 2022 Champions League finals.
One local lad who knows what it’s like to leave Liverpool for Spain is John Aldridge, who moved to Real Sociedad in 1989. Writing in his column for the Liverpool ECHO, the ex-striker believes “it’s certain” Alexander-Arnold is heading to the Spanish capital.
“I’ll be gutted to be fair if he goes, but it’s his life,” wrote Aldridge, who’s continued to support Liverpool since his exit. “He’s free to live it the way he wants to live it. He’ll have been impressed by Arne Slot this season and get what he’s about, of course he does.
“You’ve got to say though, he should have been tied down two years ago. We can’t knock the owners but I’m a dinosaur, and I think when contracts are coming to an end, in this day and age, since the Bosman ruling, you have to keep an eye on them all.
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“You have to give yourself two years in advance to renew them. Once it goes to one year, you’ve been backed into a corner. You’ve been cornered and only have yourselves to blame if they go. It’s a game of cards. The longer it goes on, the better their hand gets and the poorer your hand gets. It’s poker and you end up losing. That’s the way I see it.”
Aldridge believes Alexander-Arnold’s exit is different to his, as he “wasn’t going to play basically” because of the presence of Sir Kenny Dalglish’s first-choice strikers, Ian Rush and Peter Beardsley. Alexander-Arnold is undoubtedly Liverpool’s primary right-back under Arne Slot, despite the emergence of the impressive Conor Bradley in recent seasons.
Aldridge believes Alexander-Arnold’s impending exit is a “personal thing” that has little to do with money. He added: “Obviously the financial incentives will be absolutely ridiculous, but he’s going to be a rich lad if he stays at Liverpool for the rest of his career.”
Alexander-Arnold joined Liverpool’s academy in 2004 before graduating to the first team 12 years later. He’s since played 349 first-team games for his boyhood club and won eight trophies, including the Premier League title and Champions League.
Liverpool.com says: If Alexander-Arnold does join Madrid this summer, no one can blame him. He’s perfectly entitled to make his own decisions. Yet he won’t be regarded as a Liverpool legend if he leaves on a free transfer to a major European rival. If he does quit, he must be aware of the sacrifice he’s making and the impact the transfer will have on his legacy.
