There is no doubt that Trent Alexander-Arnold looked distracted as Liverpool took on Manchester United at Anfield in January. And the cause of such a strange performance from the Reds’ number 66 was obvious.
In the lead-up to the game, Real Madrid had made an offer for his services, which Liverpool had no intention of accepting, making clear what was already known. Carlo Ancelotti’s side wanted Alexander-Arnold on a free transfer in the summer, which it has now got over the line, but was willing to pay a relatively small sum to bring that forward six months.
The Spanish giant got the message when its offer was rejected out of hand and backed away. But Alexander-Arnold will still end up at the Bernabeu in the end, though his showing against Manchester United didn’t prove too costly.
According to The Telegraph, Alexander-Arnold has told friends that he remembers nothing about the game. It was a blur to him and it certainly looked that way on the field.
But amid the big decision about his future, it could have been more costly to Liverpool. The Reds dropped points against a rival but have ultimately won the Premier League title at a relative canter anyway.
“I think first and foremost, I want to say it’s not an easy decision and there’s a lot of thought and feeling that has gone into it,” Alexander-Arnold told the Reds’ official website this week while explaining his decision to leave his boyhood club.
(Image: Getty Images)
“I’ve been here 20 years now, loved every single minute of it, achieved all my dreams, achieved everything I’ve ever wanted to here. Giving everything day in, day out for 20 years, I’ve got to a point now where I feel like I need a change.
“I need a new challenge for me as a player and as a person. And I think now is the right time for me to do that.
“Obviously there’s been a lot of noise around what the decision was going to be and how that was going to look. I know a lot of people will say I should have said sooner; a lot of people will say maybe I waited for the right time.
“But I felt personally the focus should always be on the pitch, should always be about the football.
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“When we were in a title race and trying to push for trophies, it’s about making the right decision for the team and trying not to distract the team and take away from what we’re doing on the pitch.
“For me, it was always to do it after the season was kind of done; not so much the final game but when there was nothing else really to play for.
“Now that we’ve won the league and we’ve been able to celebrate it and celebrate such an amazing achievement, I felt like now is the right time to get it off my chest and tell the fans the truth, and now is that time.”
Liverpool.com says: Losing Alexander-Arnold will be tough as he is so talented and unique but the Reds have moved on from other big players in the past. Arne Slot will need to find a way of replicating his creativity elsewhere in the team and that won’t be straightforward, but Liverpool will be fine. Alexander-Arnold should be a success with Real Madrid too.
