Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate has clarified his comment on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s announcement that he will be leaving the club. The French defender was among the Liverpool players who showed their support for the 26-year-old full-back following his decision to leave Anfield after two decades.
The news broke early on Monday, prompting reactions from fans and former and current players alike. Mohamed Salah expressed his feelings late Monday night, while Curtis Jones led the tributes from the current Premier League champions, including Jordan Henderson, who posted about the Liverpool academy graduate.
Alexander-Arnold’s exit has been met with mixed reactions, and Konate’s comment on his teammate’s emotional social media post caused some confusion among fans. Initially, the centre-back posted three red heart emojis and the words: “Big L.”
Some fans interpreted that as him saying ‘big loss’. However, he later clarified his comment, replying to his own post with: “LEGEND OFC!”
It is anticipated that Alexander-Arnold will be heading to Real Madrid. Liverpool fought to keep its homegrown talent, but he says his ambition for a new challenge ultimately made his decision.
Speaking to the official club website, he confirmed: “One hundred per cent, [staying was] a massive possibility. It’s not about me thinking we’re not going to fight for titles or fight for trophies season in, season out.
(Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
“I knew from these first few moments with the manager that he was a winner, he was aiming to go and win things. You’ve seen that this season with the way that we’ve played.
“It was never about not having confidence in that. It just boiled down to what I felt I needed: a change. That’s something I need to do on my personal journey as a person, but also as a player and a professional, to go and challenge myself elsewhere.”
Since the news was made public, plenty of people have had their say. But Jamie Carragher says Liverpool fans should be entitled to think whatever they want when it comes to Alexander-Arnold’s exit.
“Liverpool fans are being told their reaction to Alexander-Arnold leaving is emotional more than sensible,” Carragher wrote in The Telegraph. “My response to that is who is really the naive and deluded one when analysing how fans feel about such transfers?
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“Would Manchester United have been happy to see Ryan Giggs or Paul Scholes leave in their prime for Real Madrid? Would Chelsea have wished John Terry all the best had he followed Jose Mourinho to Spain for nothing?
“How would Arsenal fans feel if Bukayo Saka said he wants to fulfil a lifetime ambition to wear the white shirt in the Bernabeu? The predictable response is ‘Those lads would never do that’. But isn’t that the point?
“Players are loved even more when they genuinely mean it when they say they do not want to play for anyone else. If that image of the home-grown talent living the dream is an illusion, people feel let down.”
Liverpool.com says: Losing Alexander-Arnold is far from ideal for Liverpool but the Reds will have had long enough to plan ahead. It will be a big summer and replacing the number 66 will be a major talking point.
Doing it directly will be impossible given there is no one out there who does the same things as the full-back or plays the position in the same way. In terms of pure numbers, though, Liverpool will need an extra body and shouldn’t just rely on Conor Bradley staying fit.
