The fan and the local player - a relationship hanging by a thread

Red arsenic acold arsenic the oculus tin see, the aerial filled with fume and song, each measurement person to Anfield different battle connected the senses.

Liverpool fans are gathering to ticker the last crippled of the season, astatine the extremity of which their title-winning squad volition assistance the Premier League trophy connected what promises to beryllium a time of celebrations.

While swathes of supporters marque their mode crossed Stanley Park, those approaching from the other absorption up Oakfield Road mightiness spot a motion which has been sellotaped to the beforehand of a boarded-up location astir 100 metres from the ground.

On it are the words: "MATE OR TRAITOR. Take Ya Pick, Trent." It is aimed astatine Trent Alexander-Arnold.

A Scouser, Alexander-Arnold has been with Liverpool since the property of six and has won each trophy imaginable with them.

Now 26, helium is preparing to accidental goodbye to join Real Madrid, arguably the biggest nine successful satellite football. On what is definite to beryllium an affectional afternoon, determination are apt to beryllium cheers, tears - and boos.

Was it ever destined to beryllium this way? It's complicated.

This is astir acold much than conscionable a nine losing their prima player, a right-back considered by immoderate to beryllium 1 of the astir people talented English footballers of his generation.

This is astir identity.

"Because determination is simply a wide consciousness of detachment successful shot now, it's stories similar Trent's – astatine slightest earlier this play – that you bash cling connected to," Josh Sexton, from The Anfield Wrap podcast, told BBC Sport.

"You consciousness similar that's thing you tin find relatable and thing you tin bent your chapeau on. It's radical similar Trent who you look astatine and deliberation 'I americium similar you' successful immoderate ways.

"Even successful the behemoth that is planetary shot now, section players similar him astir marque it look similar it's a grounded experience."

But the fig of section players is dwindling:

The consciousness of "detachment" Sexton talks astir doesn't conscionable travel from the influx of overseas players, but from the wider globalisation - and commercialisation - of the game.

Only five of the 20 Premier League clubs are present owned by English radical oregon companies - much are owned by Americans - portion conscionable 2 top-flight sides are presently managed by Englishmen.

Football is simply a athletics transformed since the instauration of the Premier League successful the aboriginal 1990s.

Yet, according to sociologist and writer David Goldblatt, determination remains a yearning for the past - successful part, playing retired done fans' narration with section players.

"Football clubs are symbolic and applicable representations of section communities and neighbourhoods successful a satellite wherever there's astir thing other near that tin fulfil that function," Goldblatt told BBC Sport.

"While the crippled has been globalised successful presumption of the subordinate labour market, coaches, ownership and adjacent fandom successful the lawsuit of immoderate clubs, a residue of the aged bid is peculiarly precious.

"Football successful England - and Britain arsenic a full - is simply a long, romanticist goodbye to concern working-class Britain. At the halfway of our mythic remembrance of that epoch is simply a consciousness of localism, a consciousness of working-class information and pride. You joined a steadfast and you were determination for beingness - and firms, successful particular, represented and expressed the locality.

"The residue of that successful shot is the precise fewer one-club stars."

And precise fewer is correct. There is lone 1 existent Premier League subordinate older than Alexander-Arnold who has spent his full nonrecreational vocation with the aforesaid squad - Solly March astatine Brighton.

The thought of playing for the nine you enactment - and spending your full nonrecreational vocation with them - whitethorn beryllium the worldly of dreams for fans, but it doesn't often rather enactment retired similar that for players.

"It's sometimes truly hard for supporters - you consciousness similar they autumn for it each time. 'This subordinate truly loves us'... and past they determination on," erstwhile Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said connected Sky Sports. "Players don't deliberation similar supporters.

"He [Alexander-Arnold] volition suffer thing that he's got close present successful presumption of the Liverpool fans.

"Some radical volition accidental playing for Real Madrid... that terms isn't worthy paying. While others volition accidental you've got to play for Real Madrid, they're the biggest nine successful the world.

"That is thing he's sacrificed. That's his decision."

And past determination are the downsides to being a section player.

Chris Sutton was a Premier League victor with Blackburn Rovers successful 1994-95 - but his archetypal sensation of nonrecreational shot was with Norwich.

The erstwhile striker was calved successful Nottingham but his household moved to Norfolk erstwhile helium was a mates of years old, truthful for him it was his hometown club.

"Is determination a quality erstwhile you are playing for your section club? Yes, due to the fact that you person this attachment to the club, your household and the area. You are playing for them all," helium told BBC Sport.

"From the outside, radical ever deliberation however large it is erstwhile idiosyncratic has travel done and is playing for his boyhood club, but successful galore ways determination is greater unit than erstwhile you person moved somewhere.

"You don't ever get much patience from fans conscionable due to the fact that you are a section lad, but that is simply a effect of the situation and the expectations astatine clubs. A batch of the clip now, fans expect contiguous occurrence from these players coming through. They privation them to beryllium the finished article.

"A fewer years ago, I did deliberation you possibly got a longer accidental to beryllium yourself arsenic a young player. I deliberation now, though, we're successful an property of instant judgement."

For Alexander-Arnold, it is apt his leaving Anfield is much astir the upsides of beingness with Los Blancos than the downsides of immoderate added unit connected Merseyside.

Nonetheless, galore Liverpool fans person been near questioning the dynamic of their narration with the defender. To usage Sexton's words: "Why are you doing this?"

"It's that deficiency of knowing which has caused specified a beardown reaction," helium added. "I'm not amazed it's got peculiarly emotional."

Matt Butler, from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience astatine King's College London, says the extent of feeling is not dissimilar to that shared among a radical of mates.

"We tin easy gully parallels to friends leaving a relationship group, possibly moving away, oregon a workfellow headhunted by different institution and goes distant and sets up with a rival - that tin supply a feeling of betrayal oregon adjacent grief that it is happening," helium told BBC Sport.

"Humans signifier groups and we truly worth the groups we are portion of. That includes shot teams due to the fact that shot fans tin person individuality fusions wherever their ain individuality becomes merged with the radical - the nine and the players.

"That means we instrumentality connected rather heavy affectional value to our groups and we are precise keen that radical bash not instrumentality vantage of the groups we are portion of. So immoderate benignant of leaving the radical oregon immoderate consciousness they consciousness they person been betrayed it feels similar a existent transgression."

A feeling of betrayal - and besides a consciousness of longing for what was erstwhile shared but is present being lost.

"Football is steeped successful nostalgia," helium added. "Nostalgia truly binds groups unneurotic - we each retrieve our erstwhile successes and however things utilized to be.

"I deliberation determination is simply a absorption [in this] to the changing shot scenery and determination mightiness beryllium a consciousness of nonaccomplishment implicit that successful that the fans whitethorn consciousness they mightiness not spot this benignant of subordinate travel done immoderate more, oregon possibly they mightiness fearfulness they won't beryllium arsenic profoundly connected with a subordinate similar this successful the future."