Booed by his own fans at Anfield 

©IMAGO

It has long been rumoured that Liverpool’s homegrown full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold would be a Real Madrid player next season. With his contract out this summer, most media outlets have been reporting for some time that the Spanish giants have been convincing the England international to head to the Santiago Bernabéu on a free transfer. But last week, the man himself, Alexander-Arnold, released a video confirming his intention to leave the club he has been with since the age of eight at the end of the season. That decision was met with some serious hostility from certain Liverpool fans on social media, but the scenes at Anfield this Sunday shocked a lot of the watching world.

The Premier League champions were held to a 2-2 draw by Arsenal, having led 2-0 at half-time, but the story of the game arrived in the 67th minute when Alexander-Arnold replaced Conor Bradley to a chorus of boos from the home support at Anfield. Whilst some sections clapped the full-back and one solitary sign thanking him for his contributions was picked up by the TV cameras, the overwhelming response was hostility from the Anfield crowd. This continued even as the game progressed, with booing detectable every time he received the ball. ‘There’s only one Conor Bradley’ was also chanted just after Alexander-Arnold entered the field of play.

The 26-year-old has made 353 appearances for the Reds, winning eight trophies, including two Premier League titles, and the Champions League in 2019. He boasts qualities that are rarely seen in a full-back, with his passing range comparable to the midfield greats and his technique matched by few in world football. After Sunday’s game, fellow full-back Andy Robertson said, “It was not nice to hear [the boos], but you can’t tell people how to feel.” While manager Arne Slot diplomatically stated, “I heard mixed opinions but the only opinion I have is I owe it to the players and fans to try to win a game of football. For the fans, they are entitled to have their own opinion.”

A lot of the frustration from the Liverpool faithful comes around the fact that the club will receive no fee for one of their prized assets due to Alexander-Arnold running his contract down. A somewhat understandable viewpoint given he has a current market value of €75 million. However, the widespread reaction at Anfield for a player that has done so much for the club was a shock to many. Liverpool have one more home game on the final day against Crystal Palace. Whether Alexander-Arnold is involved that day remains to be seen. Liverpool are synonymous with having one of the best and most unique fanbases in world football, but on Sunday it felt like Alexander-Arnold was walking alone in front of the Kop.

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s stats for Liverpool

As illustrated in the graphic above, Alexander-Arnold has made as many as 353 appearances for Liverpool – only 35 players have played more games for the club according to Transfermarkt statistics. In that time, he has scored 23 goals – only eight defender’s in Liverpool history have scored more. Whilst no Liverpool defender can get anywhere near his 92 assists for the club. The full-back has also been a key component in the club’s most successful modern era, winning every trophy possible with his boyhood side. He has also been included in the Premier League team of the season on three occasions – the 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2021/22 seasons.

Throughout his career, Alexander-Arnold has often received criticism for his defensive work. There have been many occasions where he has struggled one-on-one against top-class wingers. However, going forward the Englishman has been a true creative force from right-back. As highlighted above, no defender in Premier League history has provided more assists. According to Transfermarkt data, he has as many as 67 assists in the English top-flight. For context, that is more than Paul Scholes (61), Eden Hazard (58), and Mesut Özil (57) managed in their entire Premier League careers.

From the current crop of players, only Mohamed Salah (399), who recently signed a new contract himself, has made more appearances for Liverpool than Alexander-Arnold’s 353. It truly is a sad send-off for the true epitome of a great modern full-back. There have been countless moments where Alexander-Arnold has won a huge game with his exquisite passing. Would Liverpool have even won the league this season without him? If we think back to his incredible pass through to Salah on the opening day to open the scoring against Ipswich, or if we cast our minds back to the sensational through-ball that led to the late equaliser against Arsenal at the Emirates, there have been countless occasions where the Liverpool right-back has helped swing games in Liverpool’s favour. Supporters of course have the right to harbour whatever opinions they like, but this feels like a very sour ending for all parties.