Los Blancos almost never miss their big goals, so it seems increasingly likely that the England right-back will be another big signing.
When Trent Alexander-Arnold sent the ball into the back of the net – thanks to a generous deflection – in Liverpool’s 5–0 win over West Ham on December 30, he ran to the corner of the pitch in celebration, waving who seemed to suggest he was aware of the rumors surrounding a move to Real Madrid. It was a moment where a player was trying to assert control; Alexander-Arnold knew that reports of his move to Madrid had gained momentum in Spain, and so he reminded his current supporters that he was still one of them, for now.
However, things are changing quickly in football. Some of the rhetoric around Alexander-Arnold’s poor performance in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw against Manchester United was a bit harsh. He’s had some disappointing games before – every footballer has them – but the timing was inopportune, to put it simply. A week after his goal against West Ham, and less than a week after news emerged that Madrid had made an offer of around 20 million pounds ($25 million) to secure his services this January , Alexander-Arnold’s mediocre performance made any earlier celebrations irrelevant. We are made to believe that his mind is lost.
This might not be entirely true, nor particularly fair. Alexander-Arnold is a world-class footballer and an exemplary professional. But there is undoubtedly a difference between his situation and that of his pending free agent teammates at Anfield, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk.
The murmur around Madrid is too loud, the interest too concrete, and so this saga will only continue. It already seems inevitable that Alexander-Arnold will be a Madrid player this summer.
