Trent Alexander-Arnold: A Matter of Contract Urgency
Since the arrival of Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes in the Anfield hierarchy, questions have been raised around their intentions with some of Liverpool’s key players. More specifically, Virgil Van Dijk and Mo Salah are entering the final years of their current deals on Merseyside.
However, Liverpool’s priorities should lie with neither of these players – but instead Trent Alexander-Arnold. The 25-year-old is about to enter the final season of his current contract at Liverpool and is reportedly on Real Madrid’s radar this summer.
Although I do find the recent links to Real Madrid quite premature, it’s certainly starting to impose a pressing matter at Anfield. Therefore, it’s now becoming a matter of urgency to get this contract deal signed between Alexander-Arnold and the club.
Why Trent Alexander-Arnold?
There are plenty of reasons why Alexander-Arnold should be at the top of Michael Edwards’ priority list at the end of the season. In the past, Edwards has always looked to avoid handing out contracts to players over the age of 30. Therefore, with Alexander-Arnold just about to enter the prime years of his career, a bumper deal is more than necessary.
I’m obviously not suggesting that Alexander-Arnold is currently a more valuable player than Virgil Van Dijk and Mo Salah, but from a business point-of-view, it makes total sense. Out of these three players, I only see two signing a new deal at the club – Virgil Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold. It wouldn’t surprise me if Salah decided to leave the club at the end of his contract in 2025.
It’s also important to note that Alexander-Arnold is the vice-captain of the club already and is pretty much nailed on to take the armband from Van Dijk in the future. This sort of quality and leadership cannot be underestimated in decisions like these.
What’s Taking so Long?
Whilst many have been aware of the contract situations of Van Dijk and Salah, many will be surprised to hear that Alexander-Arnold only has one year left. There has never really been any doubt over the full-back’s future at Liverpool, but there is a level of discontent amongst supporters growing each day.
Some have suggested that Alexander-Arnold may pursuit a new opportunity with Jude Bellingham at Real Madrid. Either way, a decision needs to be made as soon as possible, but that isn’t so easy without a manager in place for next season yet.
Hopefully with Edwards and Hughes now in place, the manager will be the next through the door. It will be at that stage where the likes of Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk will make their decisions on whether to commit to the next project at Anfield.
Looking to the Future…
It’s hard to comprehend the fact that Alexander-Arnold is still only 25-years-old, despite achieving everything he has, so far. It’s equally as hard to see any sort of Liverpool success in the near future, without Alexander-Arnold playing a pivotal role.
As brilliant as Van Dijk and Salah both are, they don’t have another ten years left in them to contribute to Liverpool’s future. Of course, we would all love to see all three of these players, along with the likes of Alisson Becker and Andy Robertson stay for a long time yet. However, with Edwards back at the helm, such moves seem quite hard to see.
