It’s been a busy period for Liverpool, with the Reds having confirmed the Premier League title, lost to Chelsea, and then announced the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
We checked in with the LFC Boston official supporter’s club’s Nick Sapia to get his views from the US on all the latest goings on at Anfield. There was only one place to start.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is leaving Liverpool at the end of the season. Discuss…
Regarding the news about Trent, first, I feel very fortunate that we got to watch him play for Liverpool. He’s a truly unique, incredibly gifted player who was a crucial part of this era of Liverpool’s success — one of the greatest periods in club history.
From a lifestyle standpoint, I completely get it. I think every human has an innate curiosity about experiencing other cultures, and wanting to live in a city like Madrid when you’ve spent your entire life in one place makes a lot of sense. I’m sure many of us have felt that at some point in our own lives.
From a sporting standpoint, though, I don’t understand it. At some point, Trent’s goals have shifted; he’s talked about wanting to captain Liverpool in the past and now talks more about winning trophies and, ultimately, the Ballon d’Or. That’s totally fine, but I struggle to see how those goals are better fulfilled at Madrid than at Liverpool, especially when he was on the cusp of becoming Liverpool captain in a few years with a legitimate opportunity to raise the biggest trophies in the game.
I find Madrid to be a bit distasteful — recent scenes like their actions in the recent Cup final and the Vini Jr. Ballon d’Or reaction, among others, are highly embarrassing. If things go sideways, supporters don’t hesitate to throw their players under the bus. It’s not likely that the right-back at Madrid will ever win a Ballon d’Or, but I could be wrong.
(Image: Alex Livesey – Danehouse/Getty Images)
Ultimately, Trent has been a fantastic player for Liverpool; I’m grateful for all he’s given the club and will miss watching him. He deserves our respect and to be celebrated. It stings that he’s going to a rival, and under no circumstances am I going to be rooting for Real Madrid. Still, I hope Trent finds the personal fulfillment that he’s seeking.
In more positive news, Liverpool has won the Premier League title. How did you celebrate?
It was a brilliant day. Liverpool supporters across Boston packed multiple pubs to capacity, and the celebrations inside were like few we’ve ever seen. You could feel Anfield’s energy, which certainly translated inside our local pub. I’m sure all Reds around the world felt this, but to be able to celebrate with everyone in our local community together was really special.
I had a few celebratory pints, and it was great to just revel in it with a few friends all afternoon. The celebrations rolled right into the Boston Celtics win later that night, so it was a perfect day all around in the city of Boston!
What are your reflections on the first season with Arne Slot?
I give him pretty high marks! He’s just a wildly impressive manager. I’m struck by his humility — he knew that this team just needed minor tweaks to improve on last season’s results when other managers with bigger egos may have tried to put more of their own stamp on the team. He’s tactically very sharp, has earned the players’ respect, and communicates clearly and directly.
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What’s hard to believe is that there’s real upside from this season — he’ll have learned a lot from a full Premier League season and European competition. Another full pre-season, plus adapting the squad to suit his approach, should yield additional improvements. Liverpool should be formidable for years to come, and it just goes to show how good of a hire Slot was.
Labeling him the second coming of Bob Paisley may be a bit premature, but long may it continue!
Left-back and number nine look like obvious positions to target this summer. Anywhere else?
They’ll likely need a right-back and I’m also looking at center-back this summer with interest. It’s obviously wonderful that Virgil is coming back, and this gives the club some time to do some succession planning. The other piece is around Ibou Konate, who is out of contract in a year and is rumored to have some high-profile suitors.
I absolutely want the club to tie him down, but I’ll have my antenna up if he doesn’t sign a new deal this summer. It would not be great to lose him on a free transfer next year, given that he’s one of the most valuable center-backs in the world.
Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa are among those who haven’t played as much as they might have liked. Should either (or anyone else on the fringes) be let go?
I really feel for Harvey; I adore his passion and his desire to prove himself in the squad. This season has confirmed that he’s unlikely to ever be a consistent starter in Arne Slot’s system. He’s a bit stuck between positions — he’s a great attacking midfielder, but the role that Dominik Szoboszlai fills isn’t necessarily suited to Harvey.
He’s a fantastic substitute option off the bench; his skill set is perfect for changing the game and offering a different creative spark, and I’d keep him at the club for that reason. That’s probably not the role he wants, though, and he’ll have to decide whether to move elsewhere. I wouldn’t push him out, but I understand if he wants to leave and will be sad to see him go.
I’m hoping we’ll see more Federico Chiesa over these next four matches. He’s generally been impressive in the minutes he’s gotten this season. He could be a great deputy to Salah for the next few years.
Still, something is clearly keeping him from getting more minutes, whether tactical or fitness-related. I’ll be curious to see how he’s used the rest of the season — I’d love to keep him at Liverpool, but they might need someone who is more usable in Slot’s system.
Anything else to mention?
I just want to express my happiness for the people of Liverpool and Merseyside. Finally getting to celebrate a league title properly was long overdue.
Three more matches, three more guards of honor, three more weeks to keep the party going, and four months of reveling in Liverpool being the champions before we do it all over again. I hope they enjoy every minute, and I can’t wait to watch the parade scenes!
