Trent Alexander-Arnold: Liverpool hero, not villain | OneFootball

It’s been a tumultuous time for Liverpool fans. Trent Alexander-Arnold, a linchpin of the squad for over half a decade, has reportedly agreed terms with Real Madrid – shattering hearts nationwide.

We’d expected it, but major outlets calling the deal all but done makes it real – and raw. However, the overall mood around the city and the country does not seem to be one of respect, appreciation, or recognition of his achievements at the club, but instantly one of disdain. Traitor cries have echoed around the Twittersphere. Talks of tearing down his mural on the edges of Anfield have already gained traction.

But why has there been such a knee-jerk reaction to someone who should surely be held in the highest of regards? Is Trent Alexander-Arnold not an undeniable legend of Liverpool Football Club?

Having joined the club as a seven-year-old, Trent has been making contributions to the first team from a very young age and has been instrumental in the club’s most successful period in decades throughout that time. He was a Klopp-era stalwart, reigniting fan belief. At 19, he started a Champions League final. The next season, he delivered that Barcelona corner, before starting back-to-back finals and winning the club’s first UEFA Champions League in 14 years, their first trophy of the Klopp Era, and truly kick-starting their period of success.

Klopp’s nine years at Liverpool rank among the club’s greatest, reconnecting the decimated connection between the fans and team, restoring contender status, winning every trophy available, and consistently challenging the titans of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. And though players came and went, a few were constants; Mohamed Salah, Alisson Becker,  Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold. Without these players, none of these successes would have been possible.

Alexander-Arnold has lived every Liverpool fan’s dream. As a boy, he idolised Steven Gerrard, before following in his footsteps to the first team. At 26, his achievements rank alongside any homegrown product in the club’s history. He’s on the verge of his second Premier League title, has won the Champions League (and played in two further finals), lifted two League Cups, an FA Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. It’s a complete set of honours.

Alongside those team successes, he’s earned three PFA Team of the Year appearances, two Champions League equivalents, and a place in the FIFA FIFPro XI. There’s no argument that he’s among the best right-backs of the Premier League era. Certainly, he’s been the most influential in an attacking sense. No defender has ever recorded more Premier League assists. Alexander-Arnold, undoubtedly, is a one-of-a-kind player.

Though it’s obvious he has defensive flaws, it’s also clear to see why he’s caught the eye of Real Madrid, an opportunity few players in world football are presented with. So why would Trent, having lived out his dream, not be tempted by the ultimate opportunity? Real Madrid is where football gods have played – Cristiano Ronaldo, Alfredio Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo Nazario – this is where legends are housed and made.

It’s tough for Liverpool fans to swallow, but picture Trent’s view. At 26, he’s won it all with his boyhood club. Now, the world’s biggest team wants him for their future. He has the chance to go and experience a new league, language and culture, playing with some of the world’s biggest stars in Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe and close friend Jude Bellingham.

He can develop his game further, compete year in, year out for the Champions League, whilst potentially growing his legacy on a wider scale and cementing himself as an icon of world football. Whilst some may argue this is a selfish approach to his career, 99% of footballers get into the career to win and compete at the highest level, and for most, Real Madrid is just a pipe dream – for Trent it’s a reality, so why not pursue it and become a star? Football, famously, is a short career.

He’s been as loyal as he needs to be to the club – he’s given almost two decades of service and has fulfilled his contractual obligations. He hasn’t publicly flirted with other clubs, or spoken ill of his current club. He isn’t leaving for monetary gain – if reports are to be believed, he’s taking a smaller wage at Madrid than what Liverpool last offered. He’s stayed and fulfilled the terms of his current contract, and now should be free to explore other options. Fans demand loyalty almost too much these days – Steven Gerrard is held as the benchmark. Yet even he nearly joined a domestic rival more than once. Trent’s potential move to Madrid would be far less sinful.

From Trent’s point of view, he may ask, would his loyalty be returned by the club? Fans expect him to dedicate the rest of his career to Anfield – but should he be hit by a string of injuries or sharp decline in performance, would the club continue to pay his wage? It’s certainly a hypothetical question, but one to ponder.

Few rally around their own like Liverpool, which makes Alexander-Arnold’s situation sting all the more. But iff fans need a villain, perhaps their anger should be directed towards Fenway Sports Group, not Trent. Liverpool’s owners allowed the contract of Alexander-Arnold – alongside the recently re-signed Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk – to dwindle into their final months, risking a triple exodus.

The situation left Liverpool vulnerable and Alexander-Arnold now looks likely to leave. Does that make him a traitor? Or a casualty of poor planning? Worse yet, is his expected exit a conscious decision from FSG, unwilling to go financially all-in on keeping a player whose output will be almost impossible to replace?

FSG’s ownership has seen record profits, and it’s important to note great success. But this is often as a result of frugality, and there have been many instances of the owners choosing to keep their pockets shut when there appears to be a good deal on the table because they’re unwilling to break the bank.

Of course, this is just speculation at this point – but whether FSG botched this or planned it, the damage is done – Trent’s exit looms because they let it.

At the end of the day, fans will always have extremely strong emotional attachments to their players, especially those that have risen through the ranks of their academy. Trent Alexander-Arnold has grown from a boy to a man at the club, helped turn the doubters into believers, and been instrumental in ending Liverpool’s long league drought.

Though it hurts, Liverpool supporters should wish him well on his future endeavours, because nothing can undo the good memories he helped deliver. As is written on his mural; ‘I’m just a normal lad from Liverpool whose dream has just come true’ – and never forget, he made our dreams come true too.

Read – Mohamed Salah’s contract had to be the exception to the rule for Liverpool and FSG

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