Trent Alexander-Arnold says he is leaving Liverpool
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LONDON – England defender Trent Alexander-Arnold is leaving Liverpool, the club he has been at since the age of six, he said on social media platform X on May 5, calling it the hardest decision of his life.
Born in Liverpool, Alexander-Arnold rose through the youth ranks to become one of the best right backs in the world, winning two English Premier League titles, the Champions League and the Club World Cup with the Reds.
“This club has been my whole life – my whole world – for 20 years. From the Academy right through until now, the support and love I have felt from everyone inside and outside of the club will stay with me forever. I will forever be in debt to you all,” Alexander-Arnold said in his statement.
“But, I have never known anything else and this decision is about experiencing a new challenge, taking myself out of my comfort zone and pushing myself both professionally and personally.”
The 26-year-old England international frequently played in a hybrid midfield role for Liverpool in recent seasons – operating as a full back when out of possession but moving into midfield during attacks – and is expected to make a move to La Liga giants Real Madrid.
The news comes on the back of Liverpool’s 3-1 league loss to Chelsea on May 4, a result Chelsea’s players and fans celebrated raucously.
The Stamford Bridge supporters roared along to One Step Beyond – the 1980s hit by ska band Madness – and manager Enzo Maresca raced on to the pitch while his coaching staff hugged and swopped high-fives on the touchline, though they are aware tougher tests lie ahead in the Londoners’ push to return to the Champions League.
“Today, probably the environment was the best environment of this season with the fans, this is what we need every game, fantastic. It is so good. The reason why the staff, the coaching staff, the players at the end are so happy, even the fans, is because at this stage of the season you need to win games,” Maresca said.
An early strike by Enzo Fernandez and an own goal by Jarell Quansah put the Blues 2-0 up. Although Virgil van Dijk narrowed the lead in the 85th minute with a header from a corner, Cole Palmer wrapped the win from the penalty spot with almost the last kick of the game.
The victory kept Chelsea in the fifth of the five Champions League qualifying spots in the Premier League table and narrowed the gap with some of the teams above them.
The party mood contrasted with tensions at Stamford Bridge as recently as mid-April when Maresca blamed “the environment” in the stadium for a poor performance in a 2-2 draw with struggling Ipswich Town.
But behind the celebrations on May 4 in West London for Chelsea’s first league win over the Reds since 2021, lurked the realisation that the main challenge for Chelsea’s hopes of rejoining Europe’s elite is yet to come.
Liverpool, who were crowned English champions
In their three remaining games, Chelsea have to travel to Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, both of whom are also chasing a Champions League slot. In between, they host an out-of-form Manchester United who will be keen to end the season with some kind of momentum.
Maresca, whose side are back in action in the Conference League semi-final, second leg against Djurgardens on May 8, said he was taking the season’s finale one match at a time.
“For sure, Chelsea has to fight for Champions League and, hopefully, in the future we can fight for something more important. In this moment, we are there and hopefully we can finish there,” said the Italian before adding it was “very important” that Palmer had got back on the scoresheet.
The England international racked up 14 goals in the Blues’ first 21 games of the season, but had not found the back of the net since mid-January.
Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez scores their first goal.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Arne Slot said he was disappointed not to follow up last weekend’s title-winning success with a better result, but he praised his players for dominating possession against Chelsea and for getting the goal which maintained their record of scoring in every away league game so far this season.
“If you look at how we reacted after being 2-0 down, we came back and we never gave up. It was against a great Chelsea team. Maybe we missed that little bit which we usually have,” Slot said.
The Dutchman also said he was surprised that Chelsea’s own title aspirations had faded so dramatically after running Liverpool close in a 2-1 win for the Reds at Anfield in October.
“I expected them to be a threat this season. To be (19) points ahead of them is a big compliment,” he said. REUTERS, AFP
