TRENT'S REALLY BIG DECISION

ROBERT J WILSON REFLECTS ON TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD'S MOVE FROM LIVERPOOL TO JOIN REAL MADRID...

- ROBERT J WILSON

IN THE end, two out of three wasn’t bad, was it? The newly crowned champions of England managed to retain the Premier League’s Golden Boot winner and arguably the outstanding defender in Europe.

If Liverpool had been unable to convince Mo Salah, 33 in June, and Virgil van Dijk, 34 in July, to extend their stay at Anfield by a further two seasons, it would have cast a shadow over a wonderfully successful season.

It would have meant a summer of trying to find suitable replacements for two world-class performers, made worse by the fact they would have departed on free transfers.

Right-back, or inverted midfielder, Trent Alexander-Arnold was the one that got away. The England International was pursued by Real Madrid for months and his friendship with Jude Bellingham may well have played a pivotal role in him deciding to leave his boyhood club.

Alexander-Arnold joined the Liverpool academy at six, initially as a winger. His transformation into a modern-day full-back came later and he became a vital component of the first-team under Jurgen Klopp.

He and his family are avid Liverpool supporters and he had spoken of becoming the club's captain in the future. He was made vice-captain last summer, perhaps as a softener when there were plenty of other contenders.

Alexander-Arnold cost the club zero, made over 350 appearances in all competitions, winning major honours along the way, but his exit provoked immense anger in some supporters. At 26, Alexander-Arnold is entering his peak and will certainly be Real Madrid’s gain over the next few years.

It was hardly his fault that he was allowed to run his contract down.

Maybe Liverpool thought that, as a local player, his loyalty was guaranteed? Perhaps as an academy graduate, his money was inferior to outsiders and trailing way behind Salah and Van Dijk's new terms?