After an illustrious two-decade tenure at Liverpool, Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to bid farewell to Anfield, making a high-profile move to long-time admirers Real Madrid.
The versatile right-back will reunite with England teammate Jude Bellingham at the Santiago Bernabéu, following in the footsteps of Liverpool legends, Xabi Alonso and Michael Owen, who have also made the switch to Los Blancos over the years.
Detailing his departure, Alexander-Arnold explained that the time had come for a new challenge. Having been a part of the fabric that of Liverpool’s success, he has played a pivotal role in the club’s triumphs, including dominating the Premier League this season and helping secure the 2018/19 Uefa Champions League title.
Alexander-Arnold journey was capped by winning his first Premier League title in the 2019/20 season, a testament to his contributions to the Reds’ golden era.
“I think first and foremost, I want to say it’s not an easy decision and there’s a lot of thought and feeling that has gone into it. I’ve been here 20 years now, loved every single minute of it, achieved all my dreams, achieved everything I’ve ever wanted to here.
“Giving everything day in, day out for 20 years, I’ve got to a point now where I feel like I need a change, a new challenge for me as a player and as a person. And I think now is the right time for me to do that,” he told Liverpoolfc.com.
Liverpool stars Mohamed Salah and captain Virgil van Dijk’s futures were in the spotlight before they both penned down renewals last month. Alexander-Arnold, however, did not renew his deal and that may have been a clear indication that his mind was already made up.
However, his decision leaves a sour taste as he will exit Liverpool on a free transfer.
"I completely understand the feelings that go with that and I’ve felt it myself so I completely understand that the news will disappoint a lot of people, will anger people, it will make them upset. Obviously that went into the decision as well – it’s something you don’t want to do, you don’t want to ever have these moments where you feel like you’re letting a lot of people down, you’re disappointing a lot of people. But I’ve had to make a decision for me, it’s as simple as that."
“Obviously there’s been a lot of noise around what the decision was going to be and how that was going to look. I know a lot of people will say I should have said sooner, a lot of people will say maybe I waited for the right time. But I felt personally the focus should always be on the pitch, should always be about the football,” Alexander-Arnold explained.
He continued: “When we were in a title race and trying to push for trophies, it’s about making the right decision for the team and trying not to distract the team and take away from what we’re doing on the pitch. For me, it was always to do it after the season was kind of done; not so much the final game but when there was nothing else really to play for.
“Now that we’ve won the league and we’ve been able to celebrate it and celebrate such an amazing achievement, I felt like now is the right time to get it off my chest and tell the fans the truth and now is that time.”
Alexander-Arnold’s goal contribution sits at a tally of 10 across all competitions, and with three league games to go, the 26-year-old is hoping to wrap up his Liverpool career on a positive note and hopes his exit does not cast doubt on his overall influence in the club.
“I’m just hoping that we’re able to carry on winning games, the noise doesn’t take away from the fact of what we’ve achieved this season. It has been an amazing season, it has been amazing to be part of it and I just hope that everyone is able to maybe not dwell on this news for too long and be able to celebrate what the rest of the lads have done.
“Don’t let this cast a dark cloud over the season and let everyone celebrate what we’ve achieved as a club. And to enjoy the home and away games, the guards of honour, the celebrations, everything that comes with it. I’m hoping we’re able to celebrate it together.
“I know the news will take a bit of time to set in and people won’t be happy, and they’ll be disappointed. At the end of the day, you can be angry and hurt at me but I just hope that the lads, the rest of the team, the staff, everyone else is able to feel how good a season this has been and able to feel the love and support from the fans as they have done all season,” said Alexander-Arnold.
“I want to say it’s not an easy decision and there’s a lot of thought and feeling that has gone into it. I’ve been here 20 years now, loved every single minute of it, achieved all my dreams, achieved everything I’ve ever wanted to here.”
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 5, 2025
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s interview ⤵️
