Jurgen Klopp has made his feelings clear on Liverpool fans booing Trent Alexander-Arnold after he announced he will leave the club on a free transfer.
The Reds star announced earlier this month that he would be ending a 21-year association with his boyhood club once his contract ends in June.
It is now effectively an open secret that Alexander-Arnold will be joining Real Madrid, with Reds boss Arne Slot making reference to it in his latest pre-match press conference on Friday.
The right-back was booed by sections of Liverpool supporters after coming on as a substitute in their 2-2 draw against Arsenal – the first match at Anfield since his announcement.
He was then given a frosty reception when Liverpool lost 3-2 at Brighton on Monday as well.
The situation has polarised fans, with some believing that the boos were unnecessary, while others have been left furious by Alexander-Arnold’s decision to leave on a free transfer when, had he signed a new contract, Liverpool may have been able to at least receive a significant transfer fee.
Ex-Liverpool manager Klopp, who gave the number 66 his first team debut and managed him for eight years, is back on Merseyside this weekend as part of his role as ambassador for the LFC Foundation.
The German will also be present at Anfield on Sunday to watch the Reds’ final Premier League game of the season against Crystal Palace, and witness the champions’ subsequent trophy lift.
On Friday evening, he attended the LFC Foundation Gala Ball fundraising event at Liverpool Cathedral, and took to the microphone to give a short speech.
During it, he held up a signed Alexander-Arnold shirt – which was auctioned for £22,000 at the event – and made his feelings clear on the reaction to the England defender’s impending departure.
“I don’t what to tell you what you have to think,” Klopp began. “But I can tell you what you think is wrong. That’s what I can do.
“This boy, at 18 years old, he scored a free-kick at Hoffenheim. If he doesn’t score that, we don’t qualify for the Champions League.
“In the game against Barcelona, he did the most cheeky thing in the world and set up a goal from a corner for 4-0, for a result in a game which will never happen again.
“I don’t tell you you shouldn’t be disappointed, you should not be angry. I tell you, don’t forget. This club does not forget. We are famous for not forgetting.
“We don’t forget anything. We don’t forget the bad things, but we ignore the bad things and we remember the good things.
“I watched the game when he came on, and I heard the booing. I needed another 10 seconds to realise, and I switched the tele off. Because I couldn’t have been more disappointed in this moment.
“This is not us. 100 per cent not. Be angry, don’t understand it, whatever.
“This boy – and I was there, every day – he gave absolutely everything for this badge. And now he decided, after 20 years, to go somewhere else.
“I hear this from fans, ‘Why didn’t he sign a new contract? He goes without a transfer fee’. They have to be angry, not us. It’s not about that. He gave absolutely everything.
“He wears the Liverpool badge in the skin. But now he plays, next year on, for another club. And we decide how we deal with that.”
