Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold may be out of action through injury but remains in the headlines amid speculation over a move to Real Madrid. The 25-year-old is out of contract in 2025 and rumours suggest that he has attracted attention from the Spanish giants over a possible move.
The rise of the Kirkby academy graduate is no secret and the full-back’s achievements in 302 appearances can only be rivalled by those who enjoyed trophy-laden spells with some of Europe’s best – becoming the youngest-ever player to earn six major trophies at the age of 23. Yet criticism persists.
When Liverpool are at their dominant, rampant best, praise is abundant. Equally, when times are tough – as was evident last season when the Reds toiled to a fifth-place finish (among the worst under Jurgen Klopp) – criticism is strong and often not far away.
Even with Alexander-Arnold currently sidelined with a knee injury, with the hope that he can return in time for the visit of Sheffield United or the trip to Manchester United at the beginning of April, the Real Madrid speculation has sparked another discussion. The rumours prompted a conversation on an ESPN podcast, featuring former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol, who has provided an excerpt from the list of eyebrow-raising football opinions.
“I think the fact that Klopp’s leaving, it’s going to be interesting because as we have all said, Trent Alexander-Arnold, as a full-back, is a poor defender,” said the 62-year-old who made over 300 league appearances for Liverpool. “There is no getting away from that. I don’t care who you support. What team you watch. Trent Alexander-Arnold isn’t a good defender.
“But he is so good going forward that it wouldn’t be a surprise if Real Madrid were to offer, I don’t know, £60, £70 or £80 million for Trent Alexander-Arnold when you have a young kid in Conor Bradley, who is a miles better defender, great going forward, but is in the same class as Trent.”
There are points to take on board, however some are needless. Prior to his injury, Alexander-Arnold has been in some of his best form in an impressive, yet surprising, season for Klopp’s side.
Alexander-Arnold has been at the forefront of the criticism, mostly surrounding defensive performances. Admittedly, there are aspects of his game that have proven costly in key moments but the positives outweigh the negatives in that regard due to his ability with the ball and attacking full-back capabilities.
But the 25-year-old has already responded to the consistent finger-pointing over his defensive attributes – defining the notion as a “lazy thing to say”. He defiantly answered back during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022, where he said: “It’s the lazy thing to say. People just watch the game and see what they want to see. There’s kind of that prejudice, I believe now. You see what you want to see at the end of the day.
“If you go to watch a game and have a perception that a player is lazy and you see them once not running, then in your mind they’re lazy. You see what you want to see, you don’t see the rest of the game where they’re running around, trying to do their thing.
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