Journalist explains how Trent Alexander-Arnold 'engineered' his move to Real Madrid years ago
03/27/2025 08:00 AM
The Liverpool chapter in the career of Trent Alexander-Arnold is coming to a close.
The right-back is out of contract at Anfield at the end of the season and Alexander-Arnold has opted to join Real Madrid ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
Liverpool fans will not be happy with Alexander-Arnold for leaving on a free transfer, but supporters of the Reds can’t be too mad as the full-back has been instrumental in Merseyside’s success throughout the Jurgen Klopp era, as the 26-year-old has won every trophy over the last eight years.
It is clear that the defender wants a new challenge in his life and Real Madrid provides him with that, while also giving him the platform to become the first full-back to ever win a Ballon d’Or, which is something the England international has dreamed of.
Alexander-Arnold may have always had this move to Real Madrid in mind, or at least, he wanted to put himself in control of his own destiny when signing his last Liverpool contract.
Trent Alexander-Arnold ‘engineered’ move to Real Madrid
Alexander-Arnold signed his last Liverpool contract in 2021 with the full-back stating at the time that the Merseyside club was always a good option for him, no matter what situation the Reds find themselves in.
David Lynch has explained how the defender may have planned his future at the time by signing a four-year deal, knowing that when it came to his current situation, the 26-year-old would have a very strong hand to play.
“During that period, Virgil van Dijk signed a five-year deal. Allison signs a six-year deal. They’ve signed Nunez up to a six-year deal when he initially signed him. So you see in the contract lengths that Liverpool would prefer, and they are certainly not four years,” Lynch told Anfield Index.
“So clearly he (Alexander-Arnold) signed that with this situation in mind, that it would come to this point. It’s not to say he decided all those years ago, when he signed it, that he wanted to go to Real Madrid. You don’t even know that interest is going to be there, or maybe Barcelona.
“Maybe his form would have fallen off a cliff, and none of those clubs would have been involved. But his ideal situation when he signs that deal is that he comes to this renewal and the best scenario, even if he wanted to stay, is to have Real Madrid battling for his services with Liverpool.
“That’s clearly something he kind of cooked up in his mind. It is to put himself in this situation and give himself such an incredibly strong hand, which he did.
“I mean, unfortunately, he’s got to give himself a strong hand, but that move to Real Madrid has ultimately proven too tempting and he’s actually wanted to go. So I guess it’s just one of those where he has engineered this situation, and has ultimately decided he wants to go.”
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Liverpool are to blame for Trent Alexander-Arnold situation
In modern football, football clubs tend to have a lot of power over their players. Alexander-Arnold cannot be blamed for wanting to have some control over his future, as the full-back cannot be expected to stay at Anfield forever, just because it is the path Steven Gerrard chose to go down.
The defender is a generational talent and if Liverpool really wanted to keep the 26-year-old, they would have offered him a new deal a year or two years ago.
Even up until recently, the Merseyside club could have offered the right-back the chance to become the best-paid player at Anfield, which would have increased their chances of keeping the player they will now find very hard to replace.
When it comes to the blame game, arguments can be made for both sides, as it is clear that Alexander-Arnold wanted to take control over his future when signing his last Liverpool contract.
However, at the end of the day, the blame lies with the club as they had the power to keep the full-back on Merseyside, but felt it was more beneficial for the Premier League leaders going forward to let the 26-year-old go.
