2 weeks ago
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Former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson has criticized the club for not securing Trent Alexander-Arnold to a new contract and allowing him to join Real Madrid.
The homegrown talent concluded his 21-year spell with the Reds this summer and moved to Spain following unsuccessful negotiations over a fresh deal. Real's interest in the 26-year-old first emerged in 2024 as they sought a long-term successor to Dani Carvajal.
It was officially announced in May that the two-time Premier League winner would leave Anfield. Los Blancos expedited his transfer for approximately $11 million the following month so he could play in the Club World Cup.
Despite his Liverpool roots, Alexander-Arnold faced widespread backlash from certain fans over his decision. One video of a supporter incinerating his No. 66 shirt went viral, while the player faced jeers from some of his own fans during an encounter with Arsenal in May.
But Johnson, who donned the Liverpool jersey 200 times between 2009 and 2015, has placed the blame squarely on the club for letting their star slip through their fingers. And he believes the Reds' mishandling of the situation has now marred Alexander-Arnold's standing with quite a few fans.
"It's hard to say," Johnson told the Mirror (via 888sport) when asked whether he would have made the same move in Alexander-Arnold's position. "But look, if Madrid come for players, everyone's ears prick up. And Trent's won everything at Liverpool. He's been there many years.
"I think Liverpool should never have allowed him to have that option. You know, he should have signed a deal two years before. And then we don't have this conversation. So, you can't blame the player when he hasn't got a contract. What can he do?
"He hasn't got a contract, and he's four months away from signing for Real Madrid for free. Every player's going to think, 'Well, look, you should have given me a contract years ago and looked after me. And you haven't.' So, this is what happens."
Liverpool also flirted with the risk of losing both cornerstone figures Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk this summer. However, the Merseyside outfit announced towards the end of last season that both players had signed contract extensions.
Reports suggested Liverpool made numerous offers to persuade Alexander-Arnold to extend his stay. And it's understood the best of those would have seen the player rank among the top-paid full-backs in the sport.
However, it seems Real had already stepped up their bid to sign the England mainstay at that point, and by then his head was turned. The lure of playing alongside good mate and fellow Englishman Jude Bellingham in Madrid may have also played a role.
Liverpool's infrastructure, recruitment strategy and knack for maintaining squad harmony have been the envy of many clubs over the past decade. Fenway Sports Group has consistently benefited from smart appointments of managers, board members and backroom staff, transforming the club back into regular title contenders as a result.
However, the situation with Alexander-Arnold and how external influences were allowed to interfere could be seen as one of its least successful cases. And Johnson believes that recognising the player's value earlier could have prevented one of the most dramatic transfer sagas in recent years.
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