Trent Alexander-Arnold is leaving Liverpool at the end of his contract, it has been confirmed. But while the end of this saga has been a long time in the making, it seems at least one of his teammates was unaware of his final decision until it was publicly announced.
Sharing the news in a video, Alexander-Arnold did not disclose his next destination, although it is widely-known that he is moving to Real Madrid. Whether that switch can truly give him what he wants remains to be seen — plenty of players live to regret leaving Anfield.
But in any case, the decision is made. And while Arne Slot was informed of it in March, Alexander-Arnold appears not to have told all of his teammates.
The full-back insisted that the delay in going public was designed to ensure total focus on securing Liverpool’s 20th league title. That has now been achieved, although given how his silence only prompted more speculation, it was not exactly a flawless strategy.
But perhaps Alexander-Arnold applied the same logic to his teammates. It would have been a little arrogant to assume his news would knock the focus of such a professional group, all of whom have spent the season in relentless pursuit of a common goal, and yet it does appear that he was never completely transparent about his intentions.
As recently as April 27, the day that Liverpool secured the title, Cody Gakpo was expressing hope that Alexander-Arnold would stay. He spoke optimistically about the future direction of the club, one which could still include the vice-captain.
“Now with Mo and Virgil staying, and hopefully Trent as well, they can keep building,” Gakpo remarked to LFC TV. He sounded completely genuine.
(Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Either Gakpo has an incredible poker face, or he really still didn’t know then that Alexander-Arnold’s mind had been made up for over a month. It seems likely that the Dutchman found out along with the rest of us.
It’s a stark contrast to the way Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk have conducted themselves. They provided updates on their contract situations throughout the campaign, making sure everyone knew where they stood.
And when Salah was interviewed following the first game after signing his new deal, it was clear he already knew that Van Dijk was set to follow suit. He hastily had to row back his comments to avoid undercutting the club’s announcement entirely.
Of course, this method of handling things is not perfect either. Jamie Carragher branded Salah “selfish” for speaking about the lack of progress in his contract talks earlier this season, showing how players are in something of a no-win situation.
But if Alexander-Arnold has even kept his own teammates in the dark, it underlines the lenghts to which he has gone to give nothing away. It’s hard to see who that has benefited.
In particular, his talking gesture celebration now looks completely inexplicable. How could he take a swipe at the speculation which his own silence had fuelled, only to then prove the rumors right anyway?
It all adds to the feeling that whatever his intentions, Alexander-Arnold has ended up disrespecting his boyhood club more than was necessary. We can’t say for certain whether Gakpo or others were truly not told, but the general lack of communication has undoubtedly injected a sour note into the goodbyes.
