Trent Alexander-Arnold was seen deep in conversation with Liverpool owner John W Henry during their Premier League title celebrations, sparking fresh claims the right-back could still snub a move to Real Madrid and remain at Anfield after all – while the player has posted a six-word message to supporters after Sunday’s triumph.
The 26-year-old has won eight major honours since breaking into the Liverpool side as a teenager back in 2016, with Sunday’s Premier League title the second time he celebrated such a milestone, while also having won the Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup, among other things, at Anfield.
However, with Alexander-Arnold due to fall out of contract at Anfield on July 1 – just 64 days from now – the player is strongly expected to secure a free transfer exit away from Anfield to Spain, where giants Real Madrid have been long-time suitors of the player.
That said, with confirmation yet to arrive that the free-transfer move has been made official, Liverpool supporters are clinging on to the hope that their vice-captain, fuelled by Sunday’s jubilant scenes, could yet decide to reject a move and instead commit his future to his boyhood club.
Those hopes were fuelled by a big tease dropped by Cody Gakpo immediately after the game.
Speaking to LFCTV after the game against Spurs, Gakpo said: “I think the group didn’t change much from last season, so now you can build on the team as well.
“Now with Mo and Virgil staying – and hopefully Trent as well – then you can keep building on that team for many years to come.”
And the possibility of Alexander-Arnold performing a U-turn have been ramped up again, after footage emerged of the 33-times capped England player seen deep in conversation with Henry immediately after the game.
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Alexander-Arnold has made 351 appearances for his boyhood club and has a 20-year association with them, having supported them as a boy. Therefore, his ties to Anfield are effectively lifelong.
However, while Van Dijk and Salah have both committed to a new deal, Alexander-Arnold has given very little away on his future.
He refused to address the media in the wake of Sunday’s triumph, Liverpool’s media and PR team also protecting him from such responsibilities, though he did last speak out on his future following the 1-0 win at Leicester on April 20, with Alexander-Arnold’s strike proving decisive.
“I have said all season that I am not going to speak on my situation. I am not going to go into the details.
“But days like today are always special. Scoring goals, playing games, winning games, winning titles – they are special moments for me and I am glad to do my part.”
In the wake of Sunday’s celebrations, Alexander-Arnold posted a video of himself signing ‘Freed from Desire’ in the changing rooms alongside his Liverpool teammates.
And in the wake of that, a number of supporters did their best to turn the screw on the player, with one writing ‘You won’t get this anywhere else, Trent’. Another wrote: ‘Best of luck to you, Trent. Hope you stay, but if not, at least it was a beautiful end to the story.
A third stated: “If Trent is involved in these celebrations with his boyhood club and still wants to leave I have no words.’
And another fan was much more confident, replying to the video of him celebrating with: ‘Convinced you’re staying now’.
Sky Sports commentator Peter Drury also posed a similar question live on commentary, asking: “How could Trent consider walking away from this? The days for which he has lived.”
In a new update across his social media channels, Alexander-Arnold posted a six-word message to fans in the wake of the triumph alongside some more pictures from Sunday’s celebrations.
“For the City. For the Fans,” he wrote. The post was shared on X and Instagram and featured pictures of him with the rest of his teammates, and also alongside left-back Andy Robertson.
Despite that, Alexander-Arnold is not expected to renege on his agreement to join Real Madrid, with former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Paul Robinson describing his decision to move to LaLiga as ‘done’.
Robinson stated: “No, there’s no chance. It’s kite-flying journalism, there’s no chance.
“We heard Mo Salah was going to sign, that came out, then we heard that Virgil van Dijk was going to sign, and that came out.
“With Trent, there’s not been a dicky bird. He’s gone, it’s done, and I told you that in January.
“He’d upset a lot of people in Madrid if that was the case; there have been handshakes and agreements in place, it would be one of the biggest U-turns I’ve ever seen.
“There’s no way Trent is coming back, that ship has sailed, and everyone at Liverpool knows it.”
Liverpool latest: Slot rejected Man Utd star; chase on for striker
A beaming Salah, meanwhile, has explained why their latest title triumph eclipses their 2020 success and tastes sweeter in the absence of several star players and iconic former manager Jurgen Klopp – and the Egyptian did not hold back in explaining how Arne Slot had improved him as a player.
With Liverpool celebrations going on long into the night, James Pearce has revealed Slot turned down the chance to sign a £120,000 a week Man Utd star last summer, with the genius tactical move he instead took seen as a key factor in Liverpool’s title success this season.
Plans for their title defence next season are already underway and Liverpool are expected to be heavy spenders in this summer’s transfer window.
To that end, a new striker is very much high on their priority list and our transfer correspondent, Rudy Galetti, has revealed that the Reds are considering a last-ditch hijack of a perceived Inter Milan transfer agreement for a prolific frontman.
Alexander-Arnold: Five reasons to stay….
By Samuel Bannister
Creating a one-club legacy
There aren’t too many one-club players around these days, not only since the age of loyalty is declining but also because many youngsters are having experiences out on loan before breaking through at first-team level. Alexander-Arnold never needed that, instead building his way up to becoming a first-team regular at Anfield and never looking back. Alexander-Arnold could cement his legendary Liverpool status by committing to the club for his prime years. Whether he ends up retiring as a one-club man or not – in other words, he could have an end-of-career experience elsewhere like Steven Gerrard did when he went to LA Galaxy – Alexander-Arnold staying at Liverpool for the foreseeable future would be a story to satisfy the traditionalists and also enhance his Premier League legacy.
Chance to become captain
When Jordan Henderson and James Milner left Liverpool in 2023, their captaincy hierarchy underwent a reshuffle. Alexander-Arnold was one of the main beneficiaries, being appointed as vice-captain behind Van Dijk. Van Dijk is seven years older than Alexander-Arnold, so the academy graduate would be likely to step up to the full-time captaincy role at some point or another if he stays, which would be the culmination of his impressive rise through the ranks. If external interest was taken away, Alexander-Arnold’s Liverpool career would theoretically last longer than Van Dijk’s. He could become their first Liverpudlian captain since Gerrard himself, standing out as a strong representative of one of the best clubs in the country.
Less pressure?
This is a contestable point but it could be argued that Alexander-Arnold would face more pressure at Real Madrid, where expectations are constantly sky high, than at Liverpool, where once again there are demanding expectations but also an existing understanding of and affection for what Alexander-Arnold brings to the team. If he has a couple of bad games for Liverpool, then unless it becomes a slump in form over a sustained period of time, it would be forgotten about fairly quickly. If the same was to happen early into his Madrid career, he could start feeling the heat. Of course, a player of his ability should back himself, but there have been examples before of a dream move becoming a nightmare, which he would want to avoid.
Settled role
For the best part of eight years now, Alexander-Arnold has been Liverpool’s main right-back. Thanks to how well he has performed, he has rarely been threatened for the starting berth. Even since Arne Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp in the Anfield dugout, Alexander-Arnold has retained the same degree of faith, so he could expect to continue in his stride if he was to remain at Liverpool. It would give him a solid platform from which to enjoy his peak years. In comparison, he would face more competition for his place at Real Madrid, where he would have to adapt to a new way of playing.
Setting Premier League records
Alexander-Arnold already has his name alongside some stunning data from his spell as a Premier League player. For example, he has the joint-most assists in the competition’s history for a defender. What else could he go on to achieve if he keeps adding to his impressive collection of stats? Over the past five seasons before this one began, he has averaged about nine assists per season in the league. Continuing at that rate, he could feasibly reach 100 Premier League assists by the season in which he would turn 30. While unlikely to reach the all-time record overall, he has some incredible numbers for a defender and he could stack up some more ground-breaking achievements.
On the flipside, you can reveal the five reasons for Alexander-Arnold to join Real Madrid here…
