Five reasons for Trent Alexander-Arnold to stay at Liverpool vs five reasons to leave for Real Madrid

Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of three Liverpool players in the final year of their contracts – and some fear the Real Madrid target is the most likely to have his head turned by interest from elsewhere.

Along with Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah – both of whom are in their 30s – Alexander-Arnold is a player whose future Liverpool need to resolve, preferably before the start of 2025, since he can sign a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club like Real Madrid from then.

Ultimately, it will be up to Alexander-Arnold to determine his fate, deciding whether he wants to put pen to paper on a new deal with Liverpool or allow his contract to run down so he can sign for a new club.

Real Madrid aren’t the only suitors for the 26-year-old, but they are the most heavily linked contender for his signature and TEAMtalk has learned they are confident that Liverpool are the only club who can stop them from signing him.

Their interest stems from the fact they need a long-term successor to Dani Carvajal, who will miss most of this season through injury and, turning 33 in January, will be in a challenging battle to bounce back to his previous levels.

Although Carvajal came fourth in the voting for the 2024 Ballon d’Or, that was largely down to his club’s achievements. Alexander-Arnold is one of the best right-backs in the world and has every right to be in contention for a move to Real Madrid, where he would be perceived as an upgrade.

But Liverpool are flying at the moment as well, so what will make him sway one way or the other when deciding who he wants to play for next season and beyond?

Reasons to stay

Creating a one-club legacy

There aren’t too many one-club players around these days, not only since the age of loyalty is declining but also because many youngsters are having experiences out on loan before breaking through at first-team level. Alexander-Arnold never needed that, instead building his way up to becoming a first-team regular at Anfield and never looking back. Alexander-Arnold could cement his legendary Liverpool status by committing to the club for his prime years. Whether he ends up retiring as a one-club man or not – in other words, he could have an end-of-career experience elsewhere like Steven Gerrard did when he went to LA Galaxy – Alexander-Arnold staying at Liverpool for the foreseeable future would be a story to satisfy the traditionalists and also enhance his Premier League legacy.

Chance to become captain

When Jordan Henderson and James Milner left Liverpool in 2023, their captaincy hierarchy underwent a reshuffle. Alexander-Arnold was one of the main beneficiaries, being appointed as vice-captain behind Van Dijk. Van Dijk is seven years older than Alexander-Arnold, so the academy graduate would be likely to step up to the full-time captaincy role at some point or another if he stays, which would be the culmination of his impressive rise through the ranks. If external interest was taken away, Alexander-Arnold’s Liverpool career would theoretically last longer than Van Dijk’s. He could become their first Liverpudlian captain since Gerrard himself, standing out as a strong representative of one of the best clubs in the country.

Less pressure?

This is a contestable point but it could be argued that Alexander-Arnold would face more pressure at Real Madrid, where expectations are constantly sky high, than at Liverpool, where once again there are demanding expectations but also an existing understanding of and affection for what Alexander-Arnold brings to the team. If he has a couple of bad games for Liverpool, then unless it becomes a slump in form over a sustained period of time, it would be forgotten about fairly quickly. If the same was to happen early into his Madrid career, he could start feeling the heat. Of course, a player of his ability should back himself, but there have been examples before of a dream move becoming a nightmare, which he would want to avoid.

Settled role

For the best part of eight years now, Alexander-Arnold has been Liverpool’s main right-back. Thanks to how well he has performed, he has rarely been threatened for the starting berth. Even since Arne Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp in the Anfield dugout, Alexander-Arnold has retained the same degree of faith, so he could expect to continue in his stride if he was to remain at Liverpool. It would give him a solid platform from which to enjoy his peak years. In comparison, he would face more competition for his place at Real Madrid, where he would have to adapt to a new way of playing.

Setting Premier League records

Alexander-Arnold already has his name alongside some stunning data from his spell as a Premier League player. For example, he has the joint-most assists in the competition’s history for a defender. What else could he go on to achieve if he keeps adding to his impressive collection of stats? Over the past five seasons before this one began, he has averaged about nine assists per season in the league. Continuing at that rate, he could feasibly reach 100 Premier League assists by the season in which he would turn 30. While unlikely to reach the all-time record overall, he has some incredible numbers for a defender and he could stack up some more ground-breaking achievements.

Reasons to leave

Constant expectation of major trophies

While Alexander-Arnold has amassed a respectable medal collection with Liverpool, winning just about everything there is to win, the sheer frequency of honours he could expect to pick up at Real Madrid may outweigh it. Madrid are the Champions League’s most successful club, winning two of the past three finals and five of the past nine, and could enable Alexander-Arnold to add some more glittering honours to his cabinet. Winning trophies with Liverpool will always be special for Alexander-Arnold, but he could become even more decorated at Real Madrid – and in an age where people seem fixated on honours when judging a player, that could hold some weight.

Ballon d’Or ambitions

Alexander-Arnold recently hinted he would like to aim for the Ballon d’Or while in the prime of his career. And although Manchester City’s Rodri won the Ballon d’Or in 2024, it has more frequently been claimed by LaLiga players than Premier League players in recent memory. Only once has a Liverpool player won the Ballon d’Or; there have, in contrast, been 12 times when a Real Madrid player has, which is the joint-most of any club. Alexander-Arnold could boost his chances of winning football’s biggest individual accolade by standing out in a star-studded Real Madrid team with his own unique role.

Experiencing a different culture

On one hand, Alexander-Arnold is in his comfort zone, playing for his boyhood club for the only team he has ever known. That may suit him, but he may also be eager to challenge himself in a different league and culture. Spanish football is experiencing a resurgence – the men’s national team are the current European champions, the women’s team are the current world champions, and La Liga representatives Real Madrid are the reigning European champions at club level – and it would be fascinating to see how he would adapt to that style of play. The lifestyle would also be a change for Alexander-Arnold and, deep down, who wouldn’t prefer the Spanish climates?

Bellingham linkup

If he was to move to Real Madrid, Alexander-Arnold would be able to link up with another English superstar in the shape of Jude Bellingham. The pair get on well thanks to being international teammates and that may help Alexander-Arnold settle in the Spanish capital. Bellingham certainly hit the ground running after joining Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund and Alexander-Arnold could back himself to do the same. English players abroad can often become popular and Real Madrid could assemble a squad that contains two of the very best.

Having no regrets

Who knows, but this opportunity might never come around again. Real Madrid have shown determination to wait for the right target in cases such as Kylian Mbappe, but their need to reinforce at right-back is becoming more urgent and if it isn’t with Alexander-Arnold, it could be with one of a number of alternatives. The ship might sail. In that case, Alexander-Arnold’s decision might be made for him, but would he look back with any regrets? By moving to Madrid, he could say that he had tested himself on the most illustrious of stages. He will have had a splendid career still if not, but he will have to consider if he will be wondering ‘what if?’ by the time he reaches the end of his career – hopefully a long way away just yet.

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Other deciding factors

England role

While Alexander-Arnold’s role with Liverpool has been dominant in terms of the regularity of his gametime, the same cannot be said for his England career. Granted, he has more competition at international level, but he was often overlooked by Gareth Southgate. Now, he will be wondering what Thomas Tuchel thinks of him. Naturally, his form at club level will impact the new England head coach’s decisions. But will it benefit Alexander-Arnold to remain in sight in English football, or could it actually benefit him to prove himself abroad? There are arguments either way, but the recent change of Three Lions manager means this could be a clean slate for Alexander-Arnold in an England shirt and he has an impression to make.

Money

Alexander-Arnold has seen his wages increase over time at Liverpool, becoming one of their best-paid players. In his next deal, he may want to be elevated to the position of being their outright top earner. It remains to be seen whether or not Liverpool would appease that ambition. Over in Madrid, meanwhile, he would not be the top earner – due to the fortunes Mbappe is receiving – but could nevertheless take home a bigger salary than what he currently earns from Liverpool. There are more important footballing factors to consider, but as always for players of this calibre, money could play its part. This is already becoming one of the big off-field sagas of the season; Alexander-Arnold has a lot to weigh up.