Former Arsenal star Paul Dickov has admitted that he was “disappointed” to witness Liverpool fans booing Trent Alexander-Arnold – after the defender announced his intention to leave his boyhood club.
The right-back received a mixed reception from supporters following his introduction from the bench in a 2-2 stalemate against the Gunners at the weekend. Greeted with boos from some Kopites when entering play, the Reds vice-caption was subsequently jeered at multiple points during the second half — albeit while also garnering applauds from other members of the Anfield faithful.
These scenes sparked widespread debate among fans and pundits, with Liverpool legend John Aldridge admitting to his own “unease” at the treatment of Alexander-Arnold. Meanwhile, Sky Sports analyst and Kop hero Jamie Carragher also acknowledged that he was uncomfortable with the notion of jeering a player while they are still representing the club.
Likewise, Alexander-Arnold’s teammates Andy Robertson and Virgil van Dijk issued their own responses to questions on the subject, expressing regret that the full-back will be departing. Moreover, head coach Arne Slot remained diplomatic on the issue, refusing to condemn supporters for expressing their views in this manner on the terraces.
Now, ex-Arsenal forward Dickov has waded into the discourse, as he acknowledged that he was not necessarily surprised by the scenes at Anfield. That said, he confessed that he was “disappointed” in fans who engaged in booing the defender, telling 10bet : “It’s a different society, things have changed.
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“I’m slightly disappointed because when you look at Trent, what he’s given to the club, he’s been there since he was a schoolboy. He’s won everything and at some point I think you should respect everybody’s decision if they want to go and leave.”
Addressing widespread speculation that the player is gearing up for a move to Real Madrid as a free agent, the retired forward, continued: “If he wasn’t leaving for Real Madrid, maybe it’s more of a yes, but it’s been said loads of times: if Real Madrid come calling, it’s very, very difficult to turn down.”
(Image: Getty Images)
The Scotsman also conceded that the jeers had come from a vocal minority of supporters, saying: “To be fair, the Liverpool fans, I know quite a few of them here, and I know some that were at Anfield at the weekend. They say that it was a minority doing it, but sometimes the minority have the biggest voice, which is quite disappointing.”
Ultimately, Dickov wishes Alexander-Arnold well for the future as he prepares to embark on the next chapter in his career. The ex-Manchester City attacker added: “From my personal point of view, I’d like to wish Trent all the best. I think he’s a wonderful player.
“I think he’s been great for Liverpool. And as I said, if you get the chance to go and play at Real Madrid and go on and win big trophies again with a different club, all the very best to him.”
Tipping Arsenal’s William Saliba to potentially follow his Liverpool counterpart to Santiago Bernabeu this summer, he posited: “That’s the other thing. You would like to think not, but if you’re a big player in a big team that isn’t winning things and you’re seeing your peers, your international teammates away at other clubs and winning things, it’s going to be really difficult to keep them.
“Saliba, and you can put Declan Rice in that category, you can put Saka in that category, Gabriel as well. All the top, top players want to be competing for and especially actually winning things. So not just for Mikel’s sake, for the players also staying, I think it’s going to be really important that Arsenal do win something next season.”
