Trent Alexander-Arnold given stark ultimatum over Liverpool contract after recent admission
Jamie Carragher has reiterated his warning to Trent Alexander-Arnold that Liverpool fans will struggle to accept it if he chooses to join Real Madrid for free this summer.
The defender’s contract expires at the end of the campaign which would allow to leave for nothing, and he could even begin negotiating with foreign clubs from next week. Alexander-Arnold is one of three high-profile players who are yet to be tied down to long-term deals, but Carragher warned the boyhood red that he will be treated differently than Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah given his long-standing ties to the club.
The former center-back wrote in his Telegraph column last week that Liverpool supporters would find it ‘hard to accept’ a local lad who came through the youth system walking away for free.
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“As a local lad, you are always treated differently,” he opined. "We saw it with Steven Gerrard. Even contemplating leaving for Chelsea on two occasions in his career temporarily damaged his relationship with Liverpool fans. Was it fair? It was simply the reality with a passionate, tribal fanbase.”
It was an opinion Carragher repeated in the wake of Liverpool’s hectic 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. “It is more than a football decision whether it is money, trophies or your career – it is about his legacy at Liverpool and how he's seen,” the 46-year-old said on Sky Sports.
“Does he want to be seen how Steven Gerrard is seen? Or Steve McManaman? I feel for Steve. He went to Real Madrid and won a couple of European Cups, but he is not adored by Liverpool fans.
“If I was advising Trent, a lot of it is to do with the free transfer. It is that feeling that you are leaving us for nothing, ‘where is our money to replace you?’. I would say, sign a contract, have a decent buyout clause and if Real want to buy you in 12 months…"
It was a warning that didn’t sit well with Carragher’s ex-Liverpool team-mate Jamie Redknapp, who insisted Alexander-Arnold should be free to join Real without judgement, should he wish to do so.
“He has got an opportunity for a five-year deal or whatever at Real and try something different," Redknapp said. "I have total respect for whatever it is he wants to do because he has given everything to Liverpool.”
It comes after Alexander-Arnold admitted recently that wants to be remembered as one of the greatest right-backs ever and is currently using that as motivation. Carragher also claimed in his column that he feels the defender ‘wants a change’.
Alexander-Arnold provided another assist on Sunday in the win at Spurs, when his sumptuous cross picked out Luis Diaz for the game’s opening goal. The 6-3 victory ensures Liverpool top the table at Christmas by four points, with a game in hand, and are next in action against Leicester City on Boxing Day.
