Trent Alexander-Arnold sparks Barcelona fears

Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold has gone out of his way to praise Barcelona – leading to some fears about the his Anfield future.

The 21-year-old praised the Catalan side in an interview with lifestyle magazine GQ and revealed that he likes the club who he helped dump out of the Champions League in such dramatic style last season.

Trent Alexander-Arnold had his own role to play in that incredible 4-0 win at Anfield, which was secured when Divock Origi tapped home his quickly taken corner that caught Barcelona napping.

But could we see the Merseyside local turning out in La Liga in the next decade? It might not be as laughable as you think.

“I’d say my favourite other team would be Barça,” said Trent to QG Magazine. “The passion in what they believe in is a massive thing in this city.”

The whole of the football world is on an COVID-19 enforced break, just when Alexander-Arnold was having an even better campaign than he did in 2018/2019. Last season, the right-back broke records for the numbers of assists for a defender at 12 – a number he currently sits on with nine Premier League games left to play.

With a value of £99 million, according to Transfermarkt, it would surely take a world-record fee for any club to sign the 21-year-old. Not that he would be ready to leave Anfield just yet, not when Jurgen Klopp has the club on the brink of dominating the landscape for years.

Liverpool are probably safe for now, with Trent Alexander-Arnold admitting a move away isn’t ‘something I’ve ever thought about.’

But homegrown heroes come and go. They outgrow places, or they want to spread their wings and taste a different experience abroad. Guys like Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher are rare in the modern game, they’re the exception and not the rule.

Everyone wants to see Alexander-Arnold play for Liverpool until he’s 50. But he may have other ambitions than that, and maybe we should start to prepare ourselves mentally for the time he asks to fulfil those.