In March 2017, Trent Alexander-Arnold was readying for his first external interview as a Liverpool player and the infinitely more-hyped Ben Woodburn, who had broken Michael Owen’s record to become the club’s youngest goalscorer, was getting a taster of media duties alongside him.
The location was a room just off reception at the old Melwood campus, and before the pair had entered, a member of the backroom team stuck his head through the door and told this reporter: “You’ll be talking to a future Liverpool captain today – and no, it’s not the one who was getting the headlines.”
- Alexander-Arnold keen to join Real Madrid but deal not yet agreed
- What Trent’s exit would mean for Liverpool… and Salah
- Could Real Madrid pay Liverpool to get Alexander-Arnold for Club World Cup
- Choose the Sky Sports push notifications you want! 🔔
- Got Sky? Watch Liverpool games LIVE on your phone📱
- Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW 📺
Alexander-Arnold’s natural leadership ability jumped out in that exercise: he was assured, steered the interview, picked up when Woodburn found it challenging to answer, and lavished praise on his team-mate; describing in detail why that moment of history – smashing high into the roof of the net in front of the Kop to beat Owen’s record by 98 days – was no accident.
It was evident leaving Melwood that day that Alexander-Arnold, a striker converted to a controlling midfielder and newly repurposed as a right-back, would become a fixture in Liverpool’s first-team.
His surety and strength of purpose stood out to such a degree that even Jurgen Klopp was privately billing him as a future symbol of what the club represents.
Two years later, Alexander-Arnold embarked on his maiden documentary-style feature. He was 20, fresh off Corner Taken Quickly euphoria, and about to become the youngest starter in consecutive European Cup finals.
The local lad had grown in stature and status, dropping soundbites his senior colleagues were too reluctant to voice as he walked past the city’s stunning stone-clad Three Graces – the Royal Liver Building, The Cunard Building and the Port of Liverpool – surprisingly, for the first time.
“We’re a world-class team,” Alexander-Arnold offered with the Scouse hallmarks of defiance and front-footedness. “We shouldn’t be afraid to say that.”
- Transfer Centre LIVE! | Liverpool news & transfers🔴
- Liverpool transfer news – have your say on Alexander-Arnold
- Liverpool fixtures & scores | FREE Liverpool PL highlights▶️
Liverpool walked that talk, adding a sixth European Cup after turning in a 97-point league season. Their right-back was, per Klopp’s description, “one of the most relentless professionals I have met” and “the embodiment of the sentiment ‘we’re never gonna stop’.”
As part of the celebrations of winning the Champions League, The Anfield Wrap – an award-winning fan production – commissioned a mural a minute’s walk away from the club’s stadium.
In its shadow was a new light for the community as a blank wall on Sybil Road morphed into a message of inspiration and a call to action. The faded brown brick was covered by a giant painting of Alexander-Arnold celebrating the triumph alongside the words: “I’m just a normal lad from Liverpool, whose dream has just come true.”
‘For Fans Supporting Foodbanks,’ was the stamp beside the artwork, reminding people to donate on matchdays.
“This is not just a celebration of a footballer, it’s a celebration of a person who represents his community so well, whose values resonate with us as fans, and so it was important that a cause within the community benefited,” Craig Hannan of The Anfield Wrap explained.
Alexander-Arnold attended the unveiling of the mural and urged donations for the foodbanks.
Liverpool – the club, the city, the fanbase – were gripped by the Scouser in their team. Alexander-Arnold has gone on to help the Merseysiders win every trophy, including ending a 30-year wait for the league title, with his brand rooted in the concept of being Liverpudlian.
It is why, with magic English league title No 20 in the club’s grasp and Real Madrid pushing to finalise a deal for him as a free agent, the strength of sentiment around the full-back is so fierce.
In the eyes of a large swathe of fans he is set to leave his boyhood club, who are well primed for domestic and European honours, for nothing after having leveraged his Scouseness.
They hold on to these quotes…
“Looking back on this era, although City have won more titles than us and have probably been more successful, our trophies will mean more to us and our fanbase because of the situations at both clubs, financially.”
“I didn’t want to be playing for the likes of Bayern Munich, I wanted to be a Liverpool player.”
“Playing for the club I love is more important than any position.”
“Everybody that owns my kit, everybody that owns any Liverpool kit – I owe them something. I owe them my best. Because I’m one of them. We’re family.”
Alexander-Arnold would represent something else, something different if he signs for Madrid – as is the long-set expectation.
Liverpool, as a club, are more realistic about the situation.
There has been an acceptance that the contract sagas – him, Virgil van Dijk, and Mohamed Salah – materialised out of their own off-pitch inertia, due to upheaval at sporting director level, and then Klopp’s decision to leave.
Liverpool didn’t just open the door for Real Madrid’s charm offensive, they rolled the red carpet out and the Spanish giants have happily walked on it for two years, before really ratcheting up their interest ahead of last summer.
The club have made Alexander-Arnold lucrative offers to remain, but they understand the attraction of a new challenge, a fresh life and lifestyle experience, and the lure of being a Real player.
Liverpool have protected him, not allowing questions over his future as he’s wrestled with what is an emotionally charged decision to make.
The club know it would be hypocritical, for example, to be annoyed by Alexander-Arnold leaving for Madrid when a good offer would be accepted this summer for Harvey Elliott – a player who turned the behemoths down because he wanted to call Anfield his home ground.
It was also no problem for them to try and tempt Martin Zubimendi from his boyhood club Real Sociedad.
And of course there is the live saga of Salah and Van Dijk: both are desperate to stay and sign new contracts, yet there has been no breakthrough.
Loyalty in football is an ideal applied to players, but not held to clubs.
It would largely explain why dressing rooms are unmoved in situations like these. The Liverpool squad, like the club, understand Alexander-Arnold’s position and that it is not just about football, but sampling a different way of life.
He grew up two minutes away from Melwood, joined the club aged six, and only moved out of his West Derby home that circled the old training complex when he was 17.
Players know that coveting something new doesn’t always translate into thinking it’s something better.
Alexander-Arnold’s situation will have no bearing on what happens with Salah and Van Dijk as all contract offers have been drafted on individual merit, data and circumstances.
The optimism is still strong that the pair will remain.
With regards to Alexander-Arnold, all parties – including Real – have made it very clear that any decision would not be driven by money.
They are also aligned in showing surprise at the stories that emerged this week, given nothing major has changed since January – no agreement has been reached, no deal has been signed, nor has a conclusion been communicated to either club.
Real, as always, are confident of getting their target. Alexander-Arnold, as has been the case all season, is very interested in making the switch to them but his focus has centred around delivering silverware.
He will know better than most that if he exits Liverpool on a free, given the standing of the club at the moment, his local legacy will be sullied.
In Alexander-Arnold’s own words: “There’s a difference to this place. People who aren’t from Liverpool probably think we’re over the top, but that’s because we’re really passionate about the things we love. We stand united on important issues and we fight for what we believe in with everything we’ve got.”
