Liverpool are braced for Trent Alexander-Arnold to quit the club at the end of the season, but Anfield favourite Jamie Carragehr has no issues with England star’s decision
Jamie Carragher has defended Trent Alexander-Arnold as he prepares to finalise a free transfer to Real Madrid. But the Liverpool icon admits he is disappointed that the England star has decided to leave Anfield instead of pursuing more major honours with his boyhood club.
Alexander-Arnold, 26, has grown into an integral figure for the Reds after making his debut under Jurgen Klopp and has been influential this season as Liverpool – now managed by Arne Slot – close in on the Premier League title.
Real Madrid are long-term admirers of Alexander-Arnold, who has been free to speak with overseas clubs since January after entering the final six months of his deal, and it emerged earlier this week that an agreement to take the player to Spain is all but done.
That development has sparked anger among fans, some of whom have gone on to question Alexander-Arnold with others criticising the club.
Carragher, however, says he is not angry with either party over the decision – even if he is disappointed with Alexander-Arnold’s decision to quit his boyhood club.
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Speaking on the latest episode of the Stick to Football podcast, Carragher says: “It seems like there’s not one thing people are unhappy with – it’s leaving on a free or that he should have come out and told the club earlier – people are angry for three or four different things.
“I’m not angry about him going on a free. In an ideal world, Liverpool would get £70m or £80m for him to reinvest, but you can’t have it both ways as a supporter. If Liverpool sign someone on a free in the summer, we’d all be delighted, so does that mean that his former club should absolutely hate him? Also, when you’re a local player you don’t cost anything – Trent going on a free is like Virgil van Dijk leaving for £75m, we’d still break even.
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“Where I’m at is that, as a local player and a Liverpool fan, Liverpool are in a position where they’re competing for the league and a European Cup every year. So, if you’re a Liverpool fan and a local player, I’m just disappointed that he doesn’t think that this is it. I’m putting myself in his position, where I’d be thinking that we could go level with Manchester United in league trophies, I’ve got another seven or eight years at Liverpool and want to get three or four ahead of them, with a couple more European Cups.
“We always talk about rivalries and never think of it as European. In some ways, Real Madrid is a rival, and no one will catch them – they are the biggest and most famous team- but I’m desperate for Liverpool to get second on that list – AC Milan are on 7 [European titles].
“If I was him, I’d be thinking that we’ve got a great opportunity to win the league this year and could do this and that and at the end of his time, put Liverpool in a position [to top others].”
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