Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid are basically the Avengers and it’s frightening

03/25/2025 06:30 PM

Real Madrid will be a force to be reckoned with next season.

Arguably Europe’s most glamorous club is set to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool in the summer with defender agreeing a long-term deal at the club.

The Liverpool star, who has spent 20 years with the Reds, will pen a five-year contract worth in excess of £220,000 per week.

But while he will be leaving his boyhood club, Alexander-Arnold will now be rubbing shoulders with some of world football’s most elite stars.

Under Carlo Ancelotti

Under manager Ancelotti, Real Madrid sometimes play a traditional 4-4-2, but most frequently the team is set up in a 4-2-3-1 system.

With Jude Bellingham playing in an advanced, box-to-box role, Ancelotti’s trio of attacking superstars are given the freedom to run riot.

In Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and talismanic forward Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid boast one of the most dangerous attacks in world football, but the arrival of Alexander-Arnold will add a new dimension to the team.

The preferred system under Ancelotti sees the two full-backs operating as inverted wing-backs.

This means that they’re given licence to break out of the back line and roam into areas in the centre of midfield to create an overload.

It also allows these players to get into positions where they can spot a more penetrating pass into the final third.

This is exactly why Alexander-Arnold could be the perfect fit for Real Madrid.

Fulfilling this role on a regular basis for both Liverpool and England, Alexander-Arnold is far more than a traditional right-back.

His vision, crossing ability and ability to pick out a pass makes him a unique, quarter-back-style player who is most effective when delivering the ball from wide areas.

At Real Madrid he’ll get plenty of opportunities to do that – whether it be from delivering crosses from the right flank or threading penetrating passes from a more central area into the final third.

It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that the 26-year-old could be afforded the opportunity to play in central midfield from time to time, however this is unlikely to be a regular thing given the intense competition for places with Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Jude Bellingham, Fede Valverde, Dani Ceballos and possibly Luka Modric being at the club next term.

Defensively, Alexander-Arnold will be given licence to roam.

Ancelotti likes his full-backs to get forward to supplement Real Madrid’s attack and while that does occasionally pose problems from a defensive point of view, it’s unlikely that the England star will be responsible for solidifying their back line.

Under Xabi Alonso

There have been suggestions that Ancelotti could leave the Bernabeu this summer, with Xabi Alonso widely mooted as a potential replacement.

Should that happen, the England star shouldn’t have too many problems.

Playing in a 3-4-3 at Bayer Leverkuen, this is unlikely to pose too many issues for Alexander-Arnold who would be perfectly suited play in a wide-playmaker role on the right side of the midfield.

It’s a role that has typically been filled at Bayer Leverkusen by Jeremie Frimpong – a player who is more of a traditional wide player who uses his pace and width to cause problems down the flanks.

Alexander-Arnold isn’t quite the same profile of player, but his unique skill set when it comes to crossing, passing and linking up with attackers means that he would benefit from the role.

That’s certainly the case if he was playing with three central defenders behind him, meaning that he’d have the freedom needed to really become an attacking force.

During his Liverpool career, Alexander-Arnold has won just about everything on offer including the Premier League, Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup.

The last three seasons have been a little bit dryer though, with just an FA Cup, EFL Cup and Community Shield winners' medal in his last three seasons.

That said, Arne Slot's side are firmly on track to secure the Premier League title this term.

By moving to Madrid, he's joining a side who are serial winners.

As well as winning the Copa del Rey in 2023, Los Blancos won LaLiga last season along with the Champions League where they beat Borussia Dortmund at Wembley.

They've secure the Champions League crown in two of the last three seasons and are firmly in the mix to win it again this term with their hopes bolstered by Liverpool's elimination against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16.

Alexander-Arnold’s move to Madrid might not go down well with Liverpool’s fans, but Troy Deeney believes that the move is perfect for him.

The former Watford striker told talkSPORT: "I feel that he is in a position where he's done everything at Liverpool. He's won everything. He's given them a lot.

"I would have liked for them to get some money for him, personally. For PSR and things like that but it's been a wonderful exchange.

"It's somebody who's come through the youth system. He's been captain of his boyhood club, he's won everything with his boyhood club.

"Now, he's not leaving to go to any other team, he's going to Real Madrid, the biggest team in world football.

"So, I think it's perfect for him and fair play to him, he's earned that right in my opinion."