Sky Sports pundits Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville have clashed over Trent Alexander-Arnold’s contract situation and his potential move to Real Madrid.
Real Madrid are progressing in talks over signing defender Alexander-Arnold when his Liverpool deal expires at the end of June – and his preference is to join the LaLiga club.
Liverpool-born Alexander-Arnold made his debut for the club as an 18-year-old in 2016 and has won the Champions League, Premier League, Carabao Cup, FA Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup, with a second league title now likely as the Reds are 12 points clear at the summit.
The 26-year-old England international, along with other key players Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, is out of contract this summer and while former Man Utd defender Neville pointed the finger at Liverpool owners FSG for letting the contracts run down, former Liverpool defender Carragher defended the club, suggesting there is nothing they can do when a player wants to leave.
On the latest episode of the Stick to Football podcast, when the topic of the owners was brought up and whether they should have avoided letting the situation get to where it is, Neville said: “Absolutely.
“Liverpool are the only club who are allowed to run their players contract down to zero, but they are still doing okay?
“Three of the best players in the world have got contracts running out, but Liverpool are doing a great job managing that? I’m sorry, I can’t accept that.”
Carra defends Liverpool over Trent contract situation
Sky Sports News’ Sam Blitz explains how Trent Alexander-Arnold’s proposed move to Real Madrid could impact Liverpool’s future prospects
Carragher responded: “No, please, no, no, no. I’ve explained this. I’ve explained this. Stop it. I’ve explained this a million times. I’ve explained this a million times
“In a normal circumstance, yes, I get it. The hierarchy at Liverpool who were a bit part of Jurgen Klopp being really successful, Jurgen Klopp won more stuff, got more power, those people moved away. So basically Jurgen Klopp has got that much power. Everybody has left. [Former sporting director] Michael Edwards, not just Edwards, everybody has left. The guy who comes after him, who was Michael Edwards’ number two, was in the job for six months and walked away.”
“So what is that telling you what is going on at the top end of the club? That basically there is a vacuum there. They needed to bring in a guy from Germany who did the job in Germany for a lot of middle-range clubs. Klopp’s agent knew him. He’s out of work, he basically came in for the summer for Liverpool to sign the players that they signed. And don’t forget Klopp then, a few months later, announces he’s leaving.
“So the players, the older players Van Dijk and Salah probably would have been left because they’re getting older anyway. But the Trent situation, he has definitely, as we all would, used that situation to his own advantage. ‘How can I sign? I don’t know what the new manager is like, how successful we’ll be in the future’. I get that.
“When we’re talking about the actual club, [current sporting director] Richard Hughes and the people in there now, they’ve been left that.”
‘The kit man could have made these contract decisions’
Take a look at some of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s best bits at Liverpool in the Premier League
Neville responded again, saying it is “unforgiveable” that Liverpool have allowed Alexander-Arnold to get this close to the end of his contract.
He said: “I’m not having a go at the current people who are there now, I’m having a go at the club over the last three years, not seeing three of the best players in the world being signed up.
“You could’ve been the tea lady, the kit man at Liverpool that made the decision to keep those three players and give them a new contract. You didn’t have to be the sporting director
“I reckon a couple of years ago, probably around the time Van Dijk was going through that patch when he looked a bit like he might be just teetering a little bit. They’ve looked at them and thought, ‘Yeah, we’ll wait [to offer a new deal]’.
“And the players are probably holding that against them a little bit now and thinking, ‘Hang on a minute, when you could have come to me 18 months ago…’
“I think with Trent, it’s unforgivable. Let’s be clear, whether you’re going through a turbulent time in the boardroom or not, if you’re the owner of the club and you look at Trent two years ago, even if you’ve got disruption in your sporting department, you’re looking at it and thinking, ‘we’ve got to sign him up! He’s one of our own!'”
‘You cannot stop a player who wants to leave for free’
Sky Sports senior reporter Rob Dorsett explains how far advanced a possible move for Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool to Real Madrid is and why negotiations may take some time
However, Carragher once again defended the club by saying there is nothing you can do to stop a player who is set on leaving on a free transfer.
He said: “People say you can’t let him go on a free. If a player wants to leave on a free transfer, nobody can stop them. You can’t! This thing, ‘If he doesn’t sign, sell him!’
“Were Liverpool really going to sell Trent Alexander-Arnold last summer, just sell him? Real Madrid might not have even wanted him if it was going to cost them £60m or £70m.
“And a new manager’s going to come in and he’s got to fill that right-back position. There was no way in the world Liverpool were going to say last summer, ‘If you don’t sign, we’re selling!'”
Carra: Liverpool fans appreciate Trent but legacy could be tainted by Real move
On Sky Sports News, Carragher went on to look at what Alexander-Arnold has meant to the Liverpool and how he will be regarded in the eyes of the fans.
He said: “From a footballing point of view, he will be considered as one of Liverpool’s great players of this modern era. Think about what they have achieved with Jurgen Klopp and now Arne Slot, that won’t be forgotten.
“I know there is a lot of criticism now but time is a great healer and I think Liverpool supporters will be appreciative of what Trent has done on the pitch. He’s a brilliant player and that’s why Real Madrid want to sign him.
“That’s why he is spoken about so much and why he is vice-captain at Liverpool at such a young age. That’s why he’s won so much as well.
Watch Trent Alexander-Arnold’s Sky Sports Sticker Book interview from October where he was asked to choose what he would prefer – win the Ballon D’Or, Liverpool captain, win the Champions League or win a trophy with England – which did he choose?
“It will taint his legacy in some people’s eyes. When you think of players that played their whole career at the club and turned down opportunities to go elsewhere, that makes you, in the supporters’ eyes, one of them.
“The heat will come on Trent between now and the end of the season, and maybe for the next year or so when he’s in Madrid, but I am really appreciative of what Trent has done for Liverpool.
“He came through the academy, and very few players do that, he’s won everything to win, and he’s been a brilliant player for Liverpool.
“If he goes on, of course, I’ll be disappointed, but I hope it doesn’t get nasty where people want him to fail at Real Madrid or for it not to go well for him. He’s made his choice, it will upset people, it will taint his legacy slightly, but if he goes there, I hope it goes well for him.”
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