Sir Kenny Dalglish has hinted at the possibility of Trent Alexander-Arnold departing Liverpool the summer, encouraging fans to respect his choice if he decides to move on. The Reds vice-captain’s contract is ending in a matter of weeks and it’s anticipated that he’ll be heading to Real Madrid on a free transfer.
Alexander-Arnold, upon his return from injury in the Leicester City fixture earlier this month, faced boos from some corners of the crowd. Yet any dissatisfaction was swiftly quashed as he netted the decisive goal that propelled Liverpool towards the brink of clinching the title.
Following an emphatic 5-1 annihilation of Tottenham Hotspur that secured the Reds the Premier League crown on Sunday, Alexander-Arnold was met with jubilant cheers from the Anfield faithful during the post-victory festivities.
While Dalglish celebrated Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah committing their futures to Liverpool, the club’s iconic figure – who also serves as a non-executive director – paid homage to Alexander-Arnold. He highlighted how unusual it is for footballers to remain at one club throughout their playing days.
“Movement within football clubs, players moving about is just part of the game,” Dalglish commented. “And the longer you can keep the better ones, the better chance we have of being successful.
“That’s what we have done there with the two boys (Van Dijk and Salah). The fans are delighted they’ve signed. And we’ve got to be grateful also for the service that Trent gave to the football club.
“If his choice is to move on, then Trent, thanks very much for everything you’ve done for us. We wish you well for the future because he has made a contribution to the football club.
(Image: Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
“I only got to Liverpool through them buying me from Celtic so you’ve got to accept that transfers are part and parcel of it. It’s a compliment to people. If somebody gets moved on that hasn’t done so well, they don’t get mentioned, do they?
“So the people that have done really well are the ones who people say, ‘Well why do they want to move?’ Most people move! It’s very seldom now that you get one person who stays at one club for the length of his career.”
Dalglish didn’t miss the chance to highlight five relatively overlooked players in Liverpool’s winning Premier League squad for their crucial contributions.
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“(Wataru) Endo was coming on at the end of some games and just closing the door,” he commended. “Everybody that was in the squad, I think they earned the place to be there.
“The young players like Curtis (Jones) – went in against Everton, played right-back and did very well. Harvey Elliott impressed whenever he had chances to play. (Conor) Bradley stepped up admirably at right-back when called upon. Clearly, the youngsters played a significant role.
“I reckon everyone certainly played their part – (Caoimhin) Kelleher stepped in when needed and was fantastic. He’s a top goalkeeper, so it was a collective effort all around.”
