Trent Alexander-Arnold felt the frosty reception from some Liverpool supporters at Anfield on Sunday – his first match there since announcing he’s set to leave. With Real Madrid looking like the destination, Alexander-Arnold seems poised to join a club in the midst a significant transition.
As the week kicked off, news broke that Carlo Ancelotti, manager of Los Blancos for four years, is set to helm the Brazilian national team. However, these details have only been confirmed by the Brazilian camp, with Real Madrid staying tight-lipped regarding Ancelotti’s departure – the very club that Alexander-Arnold is expected to join.
During a Tuesday press conference, Ancelotti faced probing questions, exhibiting a tinge of irritation in his response.
He insisted: “Madrid will release the statement whenever it wants, and there’s no problem whatsoever, and they’ll do so when they deem it appropriate,” with a clear message that: “When the club tells me, it’s absolutely personal.”
Asked why Brazil chose this moment for their announcement, Ancelotti answered: “Because the CBF released this statement and I’ve been Brazil’s coach since the 26th.”
He added: “Everyone has acted as best they wish.”
After continued pressing from journalists, a query about his happiness drew attention, given his seemingly unenthused demeanour.
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“Yes, I’m very happy. If I didn’t have the press conference today it would be fantastic, but there are things I can’t explain right now because I’m at Madrid and I want to respect this shirt,” he mentioned, hinting at underlying issues in the Spanish capital without going into detail.
“I want to respect it until the very last day. I wanted to win La Liga, the Champions League, but I’m very happy.”
Alexander-Arnold is tipped to join this prestigious club once his Liverpool contract runs its course, or potentially earlier should an arrangement come about before the FIFA Club World Cup kicks off in June.
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The media has been abuzz with stories that Real has reached out to Liverpool with hopes of securing Alexander-Arnold’s services for the forthcoming tournament. Nevertheless, Alexander-Arnold faces the predicament of uncertainty regarding who his boss will be.
While nothing is official just yet, former Reds and Real maestro Xabi Alonso is set to exit his current role at Bayer Leverkusen next week, and has been widely tipped to take over at the Bernabeu.
Nothing is carved in stone, though, and even if he does assume the position, Alonso will have quite the challenge ahead, taking over a squad with flagging morale as their La Liga championship bid seems to be slipping away.
When quizzed about advice for Alonso, Ancelotti stated: “I don’t have any advice for him, he has all the tools to be a Real Madrid coach in the future.”
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can read the original story in the Liverpool ECHO by clicking here.
