Graeme Souness says he wouldn’t hold it against Trent Alexander-Arnold if he decides to take the “difficult” choice to depart Liverpool for Real Madrid this summer. Drawing parallels with his own career, having left the Merseyside club for greener pastures at the height of his game, the ex-Reds skipper can relate to the tricky predicament.
Even though there hasn’t been any action on the pitch for Liverpool during the March international break, the rumor mill has been churning relentlessly. Taking center stage in recent headlines is Alexander-Arnold, largely due to Real Madrid seemingly inching closer to snapping up the 26-year-old, whose contract at Anfield concludes come the end of June.
To some supporters, there’s a sense of betrayal lingering over the prospect that Liverpool might not cash in from his potential exit. Others are simply dismayed that a homegrown player, once expressing dreams of captaining his childhood team through its golden period, might be tossing aside such a profound legacy.
Souness addressed this in his column for the Daily Mail, remarking: “I understand the frustration of Liverpool supporters towards Trent Alexander-Arnold over his decision to join Real Madrid but I don’t think they can be too critical. I’m not sure whether the backlash is more because Liverpool won’t be getting a substantial fee or just that Trent has chosen to leave.
“The timing of the news is unfortunate but that leak would not have come from Trent or his team. There is zero benefit to him or Liverpool in this coming out at this time, with a league title still to be won.
“Whatever the reasoning, the flak that may come his way in the remaining months will be nothing he can’t handle. You don’t play for a club like Liverpool with a poor temperament so he will cope with the criticism.
“He has given good service. He has been at the club for 20 years, he has won six trophies and what looks like becoming two Premier League titles, now he fancies another challenge. Like any ambitious young man, should we begrudge him that?
“Not to mention, in Conor Bradley, Liverpool have a ready-made replacement who has all the hallmarks of becoming a top, top player. There are no obvious replacements for Mohamed Salah or Virgil van Dijk, so Liverpool supporters can at least take solace that Bradley is already in the building.”
This week, various pundits have weighed in on whether Alexander-Arnold could carve out a successful career in Spain. Gary Neville, for one, believes he might struggle, while Steve McManaman, on the other hand, has given him his “superstar” endorsement.
“For Trent, Real Madrid are the only step up from Liverpool right now,” Souness continued. “I don’t consider Barcelona to be there or Paris Saint-Germain given the league they play in.
“But I genuinely believe Trent can be a superstar at the Santiago Bernabeu. Madrid are a team that play the vast majority of their games on the front foot where his qualities in the final third will come to the fore.
“Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior will be reaping the benefits as he delivers goalscoring opportunities on a plate to them week in week out. Against the very best teams, his defensive frailties may well be highlighted by the experts, but I believe the plusses in Trent’s game will outweigh the minuses while he’s there.
“Choosing to leave Liverpool to go abroad will not have been an easy decision for him but the biggest thing is it will make him a different human being. He will be richer, maybe for the salary, but more so culturally. It will be a life changing experience. That was certainly my experience of leaving Liverpool, though there’s big difference to my departure abroad in 1984.”
Now, 40 years after making his own significant choice at Anfield, the Scotsman reflects back on his time with Bob Paisley’s side, where he was considered at the peak of his abilities, racking up 61 appearances in what would be his last year with the club.
During his six-year tenure at Liverpool, which included two-and-a-half years as captain, the midfield maestro clinched five First Division titles and three European Cups. Souness continued playing for another seven years, a period in which Liverpool added three more league titles to its collection.
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Reflecting on his departure, Souness said: “I was 31, not 26 like Trent, and Liverpool had no real imagination in coming up with a solution for me to stay. They also got almost double the £350,000 they’d paid Middlesbrough for me seven years earlier.
“My reasons for leaving Liverpool were due to my wife’s personal situation. After all, we had just won the European Cup, the League Cup and the First Division title; I was captain of the best team in Europe.
“I had an opportunity to join Chelsea as their chairman Ken Bates did come up with a solution for me. It meant moving to Guernsey for tax reasons and coming back to train three days a week and play at the weekends.
“I met Ken on the Friday night that Liverpool had beaten Newcastle United 4-0 in the FA Cup. The same game saw the moment Kevin Keegan had decided it would be his last season when he got in a race with Mark Lawrenson and it was one he didn’t win.
“As the season progressed, I was being made aware of interest from several Italian clubs, one of them being Sampdoria, where Trevor Francis played, and he ended up being the conduit for me ending up in Genoa.
“Kenny Dalglish and myself were the best-paid players in the country at the time. Sampdoria were offering a hell of a lot more than I was on at Liverpool and Italy then was the place to be.
“All the top players were there (in Serie A): Diego Maradona, Michel Platini, Zico, Socrates. The list was endless with clubs being funded by very wealthy individuals, as was the case with oil magnate Paolo Mantovani who owned Sampdoria.
“And it was a challenge I was ready for. Further, there was significant benefit in going to Sampdoria as Trevor had already been there for two seasons and he was an enormous help for my family settling into a new country.
“Similarly, Trent has the benefit of having Jude Bellingham at Real, being that they are mates. Jude will be familiar with the environment, the culture, and the Spanish way of life plus the demands of being a Real Madrid player. Let’s face it, living the Spanish way of life as a Real Madrid player must be fabulous.
“But I bet you when Trent finishes there, he will return to Anfield as a season-ticket holder. He will always be a Liverpool supporter at heart and maybe that’s something those criticising should remember.”
Liverpool.com says: While time will heal the relationship with Alexander-Arnold if he does leave and it won’t always be such a harsh reception that he receives, his legacy will change if he chooses to walk away from Liverpool. For fans, that is an acceptable stance to take given the position Arne Slot has the team in and that Real Madrid is a European rival.
