On the corner of Anfield Road and Sibyl Street in Liverpool, a three-storey mural adorns a terraced house. Since 2019, said mural has depicted one of the greatest right-backs in the history of Liverpool FC, along with his own words as a legend: “I’m just a normal lad from Liverpool whose dream has come true.”
A debate has raged in the last three weeks, since Trent Alexander-Arnold officially confirmed the longstanding suspicions that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season, as to exactly what to do with the mural. From stripping it down and replacing it with a depiction of fan favourite Wataru Endo, to scribbling out the final three words in place of an unsavoury reference to Trent romancing Jude Bellingham, there has been no shortage of creative energy inspired by the ire of Liverpool fans.
Because the fans are angry with Trent, and understandably so. It rankles with the Liverpool faithful that the vice-captain is leaving the club upon the expiry of his contract in June, with his destination all but confirmed as Real Madrid. Comparisons have been made to former Red Michael Owen, another academy graduate who followed the same path in 2004. Fans feel that Trent has betrayed the club by joining a European rival who have denied Liverpool two Champions League titles in recent years, that he is leaving as he approaches his peak years, and that the club will not receive a transfer fee for a player whose association with the club has spanned more than twenty years.
The opprobrium directed at Trent exemplifies the passion that football inspires in a city like Liverpool. Trent was born in West Derby, just a ten minute drive from Anfield. When you grow up in Liverpool, you are blue or red. And once you’re a Red, you are always a Red. There are those who would do anything to be in Trent’s position; vice-captain of your boyhood club, the best team in England and likely to get even better next season. To leave at such a time feels like the ultimate act of disrespect.
And yet, I have grown concerned in the last three weeks that the anger towards Trent has gone too far. Perhaps I had already resigned myself to the fact that he would leave at the end of the season, and the blow has been softened by the new contracts of Salah and Van Dijk, but it strikes me as unfair that a young player is being treated as a pariah merely for seeking a new challenge. Yes, here I am defending a defender who can’t defend. A heretical thing for any Liverpool fan to say it may be, but I cannot find it in my heart to begrudge Trent for his departure.
Put yourself in Trent’s boots. You have been a great servant to your beloved club for two decades, repaying their faith in you by becoming one of the best in the world in your position. You have spent seven years as one of the first names on the team sheet, winning pretty much every major honour along the way; two Premier Leagues, a Champions League, a FA Cup, two League Cups, a Super Cup, a Club World Cup and a Community Shield. You hold the record for the most assists by a right-back in the modern incarnation of the top flight. You had a hand in transforming your club from perennial also-rans to consistently one of the best teams in the world. You became the answer to a right-back issue that had plagued the club for years and formed an unmatchable partnership with your left-sided counterpart. In short, a club legend.
One might argue at this point that you had earned the right to seek a new challenge, particularly when a club like Real Madrid come calling. What player approaching the peak of his powers would not be tempted by the prospect of representing perhaps the biggest club in the world? Michael Owen, Luis Suarez, Philippe Coutinho, Steven Gerrard; all four were approached by either Madrid or Barcelona at the height of their Liverpool success. Only Gerrard stayed, the others unable to resist the allure.
A counterpoint may be that as a Scouser, like Gerrard, Alexander-Arnold should stay a one-club player. A fair point, but one driven more by a sense of placing duty to the team over individual success. As I noted before, given that Trent has already had a hand in Liverpool winning every major honour under the sun, he has fulfilled that duty and more. Football is a ruthless business in which few players make it to the top level and even fewer win silverware. Trent’s seven years as a first team regular in a trophy-winning side demonstrate that his Liverpool dreams have been achieved.
One difference that has been noted between Trent and the likes of Suarez and Coutinho is the money, or lack thereof, that Liverpool will receive for Trent. While the South American duo commanded hefty fees due to being tied down by long contracts, Trent has neglected to re-sign and allowed his contract to run down. This has not gone down well with Liverpool fans, who argue that Trent should have had the courtesy to put pen to paper so that Madrid would have to fork out for him this summer.
Call me old-fashioned, but I am not sure when it became discourteous to honour a contract. Since when did players have a hand in controlling a club’s finances? For sure, it would have been beneficial for Liverpool to have recouped some funds for a replacement signing, but the idea that Trent should be held responsible for the club’s inability to persuade him to say no to Madrid is baffling; that is on the owners. Moreover, Trent was not signed for a fee in the first place; he was an academy player. This is not the scenario faced by, for instance, PSG, who made a loss of 180 million euros on Mbappe last summer.
Regardless, Liverpool have a long history of turning a profit on cheap signings: Sterling, Coutinho, Solanke. Although a player of Trent’s quality is certainly worth a considerable sum, he does not deserve to be treated this way for honouring a contract he signed four years ago.
I would implore Liverpool fans to allow Trent to depart with grace. I am glad that he was allowed a 45 minute swan song during the final game at Crystal Palace; it would have felt wrong for Arne Slot to freeze him out for the final games out of spite. I would reserve the real ire for Madrid, who have consistently behaved as if they are too important to follow the rules of sportsmanship in recent years. If rumours are to be believed, Real have approached Liverpool to attempt to poach Trent early in order to make him eligible to play in the imminent Club World Cup. Coupled with last year’s disgraceful boycott of the Ballon d’Or upon learning that Vinicius Junior would not win, los Blancos have made themselves look snobbish and entitled.
I should mention that while I think Trent deserves to pursue his ambitions in Madrid, I think he is making a mistake. Reflect for a moment on Jurgen Klopp’s infamous words to Philippe Coutinho in 2017. Klopp warned Coutinho that while at Liverpool he could have become a club legend, at Barcelona he would be “just another player”. As we all now know, Klopp could not have been more right. I doubt that Trent’s career will see a similar fall-off, but I can bet with absolute certainty that he will not finish his career at Madrid. The ruthless nature and star attraction of the club means that Trent is only a few mediocre performances away from being replaced by the next best right-back in the world. He may yet rue his decision to leave his boyhood club, where he would almost certainly have been the next captain.
In a surprising turn of events, Fenway Sports Group have been unbelievably proactive in this summer’s transfer market, and look to have already replaced Trent with the signing of Jeremie Frimpong. Coupled with the rise of Conor Bradley, who looks better and better with every game, and Liverpool look to have the right back position sewn up for years to come. A Liverpool legend Trent may be, but he is not irreplaceable.
Like anyone who is chronically online, I have been amused to see the fallout of Trent’s impending move. He will doubtless to be disappointed at being slapped with a lifetime ban from the Liverpool branch of Popworld. The anger of the Scousers, though, will dissipate eventually. Trent may have tainted his perfect legacy with the Madrid move, but he will be remembered fondly for years to come. Should he wish to return to Liverpool one day, aside from a vocal minority, the fans will welcome him back with open arms. Trent is, and will always remain, a Liverpool legend.
