Trent Alexander-Arnold’s seemingly imminent move to Real Madrid is not going to be received well in Liverpool.
There is something unique about the club and its connection to local supporters – Saturday’s Legends’ game at Anfield was proof of that. Few clubs in the country can boast of such an impressive array of talent emerging from its own city: Phil Thompson, John Aldridge, Robbie Fowler – the list goes on.
But it’s Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard who perhaps resonate most with fans in recent generations and are uniquely qualified to pass judgement on Alexander-Arnold ’s situation. Gerrard, in particular, can relate. He attracted interest from the world’s top sides during his playing days but ultimately opted to remain with his boyhood club, who in Gerrard’s era often lagged behind Europe’s elite.
“If I win a couple of trophies at Liverpool, it will mean an awful lot more than if I win 10 at Chelsea or Inter Milan or Real Madrid,” he said after his penultimate game as a Red in 2015, which came at Stamford Bridge.
A week later, he summed up his priorities as he bid farewell to Anfield. “I have to save my last thank you to the most important people at any football club but these supporters stand out more than any of them.
“Just before I go, before the tears come, I’ve played in front of most supporters around the world but let me tell you, you are the best. Thank you very much, all the best.”
Speaking years prior, in an interview with the Telegraph, Gerrard explained his rationale for turning down a lucrative move to Chelsea. “Don’t get me wrong, I might have won more medals somewhere else but if I was to win the league here, along with a few more cups, that would mean a lot more than winning seven or eight trophies somewhere else. I can share it with my family, with the Liverpool supporters because I’ve been one of them all my life.”
Gerrard hasn’t publicly commented on Alexander-Arnold’s situation, but based on those past remarks, his opinion on any prospective move to the Bernabeu is unlikely to be positive.
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As for Carragher, he never attracted the attention of Europe’s leading clubs, despite being an excellent player in his own right. But as a proud Scouser and someone who still resides in the local area, he is very much in tune with the opinions of Liverpool supporters.
“I just think as a local player, it is a long time living in that city. Trent has been at the club for 20 years,” Carragher said in December. “I don’t think it would be nice for Liverpool supporters to feel like, ‘Hang on, we are winning everything, what more do you want?’.”
Speaking on another occasion, he added : “The disappointment for me is, Trent is a local player and a Liverpool fan. Liverpool this season are on the verge of going level with Man United on league titles and maybe winning another European Cup.
“He could be the captain in two or three years’ time and the person lifting these trophies. He will maybe be thinking differently but if I was in his position, that’d be my mentality.
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“Liverpool supporters are disappointed, that’s where my disappointment comes from,” he added. “If I was in his position that would be my mentality, ‘I can put Liverpool in a position where we could win league titles’.”
Finally, writing in his Telegraph column earlier this season, Carragher again referenced how Alexander-Arnold could scupper his relationship with the fans if joins Real.
“The big question that faces Trent now is how much he values his legacy as a Liverpool great, and how he wants to be remembered in the many years,” he opined. “But at heart he is a Liverpool lad, and he will be a long-time retired. For those who stay the course at Liverpool — that love and affection from the fans is for life.”
