Amid defensive woes, exemplary attacking performances, and an expiring contract, Trent Alexander-Arnold remains an integral part of Arne Slot’s starting XI at Liverpool.
With the Reds looking like they may very well lose their star academy graduate in the summer, one former Red believes they’ll be just fine.
Stan Collymore believes Liverpool can afford to lose Trent Alexander-Arnold
In a recent interview with William Hill Vegas, former Liverpool forward Stan Collymore admitted his belief in the Reds’ ability to make do without Trent Alexander-Arnold, should the Englishman decide to leave the club in the summer.
“Looking at probabilities, I’d say there’s a 90% chance Van Dijk stays, around 60% for Salah, and a 50/50 chance for Alexander-Arnold — bizarrely, because he’s the Scouser! But when you’ve won everything with your boyhood club, as Trent has, a move abroad becomes tempting.
“Trent isn’t a great defender, but he’s a fantastic footballer, and a league like La Liga would suit him perfectly. Real Madrid would allow him to drift into midfield, have more time on the ball, and play to his strengths. If he goes there, you couldn’t begrudge him — it’s Real Madrid!
“If Liverpool were to lose Trent, they could find a right-back who gets into attacking positions, so I wouldn’t say his departure would be a huge loss. The bigger issue would be losing Van Dijk. Van Dijk won’t want to cause problems — he just wants the right deal — but Liverpool need to prepare for the future. They should be getting someone like Jarell Quansah up to speed, but there are still question marks over him.”
Collymore speaking to William Hill, as quoted by Mirror.
There remains nothing but speculation regarding the 26-year-old’s future at Anfield. He has remained a key part of Arne Slot’s plans, with Liverpool firmly in the driver’s seat for the Premier League title and having qualified to the Champions League Round of 16 as table-toppers of the first stage, though his defensive vulnerabilities have also remained on the fore.
Alexander-Arnold has delivered seven assists and two goals from 31 club appearances across all competitions as he remains linked with a free move to Real Madrid.
TKT Opinion
Collymore is right indeed. While the factor of him being a homegrown player can not be ignored, given his reported wage demands and defensive issues, Liverpool would very well back themselves to do well without him.
Conor Bradley has already established himself as the go-to right-back in Alexander-Arnold’s absence. He would back himself to make the first-choice spot his own. And it would be very surprising if Liverpool were to not get another right-back, or at least a fullback, in next summer—that is, if they do lose Alexander-Arnold.
In short, we believe Alexander-Arnold should take up the chance of having a stint at Real Madrid while he has the option, and Liverpool should move on as well.
