Journalist: Trent Alexander-Arnold regrets one thing he did during Liverpool game this season | OneFootball

Trent Alexander-Arnold is giving up the opportunity to build an indelible legacy at Liverpool by deciding to leave his boyhood club on a free transfer at the end of his current contract.

The Reds’ vice-captain confirmed on Monday morning that he’ll be leaving Merseyside in the coming weeks, with Real Madrid his probable destination as he seeks a fresh challenge despite the best efforts of the Anfield hierarchy to try and convince him otherwise.

While some LFC fans on social media have warned the 26-year-old that he could seriously rue his decision if his impending move to the Bernabeu – whose fan base are notoriously unforgiving – doesn’t work out, he reportedly has regrets over one thing which happened during the course of this season.

Trent has regrets over goal celebration against West Ham

Liverpool’s title-winning campaign has unfolded amid an ever-present backdrop of speculation as to whether or not Trent would sign a new deal – Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk had been in a similar boat until they penned contract extensions last month.

The right-back scored in the Reds’ final match of 2024, a resounding 5-0 win away to West Ham, and he celebrated by running towards the visiting fans and making a ‘talking’ gesture with his hand at ear height, prompting much debate as to exactly what he meant by that signal.

In an article for The Telegraph today reflecting on the 26-year-old’s decision to leave Anfield, Chris Bascombe wrote that the England international’s actions in the seconds after scoring at the London Stadium later became ‘a source of regret’ as it was ‘directed at the few who were questioning his love for the club’ rather than the LFC fan base as a whole.

(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Will Trent come to regret leaving Liverpool?

Two days after that thumping victory, Liverpool rejected an offer from Real Madrid to sign him in January, but by then it seemed widely apparent that he’d be packing his bags for the Bernabeu at some point this year.

Obviously it’s impossible for us to properly put ourselves in his shoes of having his every word and action scruitinised amid all the furore over a career-changing (and potentially life-defining) decision at the age of 26, but in hindsight his celebration at West Ham now seems to have been ill-judged.

Nor did it help Trent’s cause that, in his next game, he gave one of his worst-ever performances for the Reds in a 2-2 draw at home to Manchester United. He’s since told close friends that he doesn’t have any recollection about that match and that it’s all a ‘blur’ to him (The Telegraph).

We don’t doubt for one moment that the England international would’ve comprehensively thought through all the pros and cons of leaving Liverpool before making his choice, or that he’ll have a sufficiently thick skin to absorb the vitriol over his exit from his hometown club.

By this time next year, will he look back on his decision with an overwhelming sense of regret if things don’t go to plan in Madrid?