Liverpool have been urged to consider a sensational move to bring Trent Alexander-Arnold back to his boyhood club only 12 months after his controversial departure to Real Madrid, with questions already emerging over his long-term future in Spain.
The scouser’s decision to leave Anfield on a free transfer, where the Reds did admittedly receive a £10m fee for Real Madrid to take him on earlier than his planned contract in time for the Club World Cup, divided opinion among Liverpool supporters.
But a difficult first season at the Santiago Bernabéu has inevitably reignited speculation over whether a return could one day become feasible.
How did Trent's first season away from Merseyside go?
Under the managerial instability of both Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa, and with the interference of injury concerns throughout the season, the Englishman endured a difficult debut season in Madrid.
Statistic | 25/26 Real Madrid | 24/25 Liverpool | 23/24 Liverpool | 22/23 Liverpool | 21/22 Liverpool |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Appearances | 30 | 44 | 37 | 47 | 47 |
Minutes | 1798 | 3093 | 2613 | 3784 | 4233 |
Goals | 0 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
Assists | 5 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 18 |
Big Chances Created | 8 | 16 | 19 | 27 | 27 |
As the statistics show, the 27-year-old not only struggled for involvement in terms of minutes, only making 14 starts for Los Merengues, but only provided five goal contributions across the season.
If you were to pick any of Trent's seasons at Liverpool from a hat, his form at Real Madrid would always be a drop-off. In his time in the Premier League, the right-back became the highest-assisting defender the competition had ever seen with 64 assists.
He formalised the role of the chance-creating full-back in Jurgen Klopp's heavy-metal style and his creation numbers were unprecedented.
A player with the passing range of his truly and crossing capabilities would be expected to replicate the same creation output or even improve on it with a move into Spanish football.
We've seen several times in recent years that players who make the move from the Premier League to La Liga often experience more time on the ball and larger spaces to progress the ball into during attacking patterns of play.
This was the case for the likes of Real Betis winger Antony, who made the move after disappointing with Manchester United and being unable to endure the physicality of the Premier League, or Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez who has become one of the world's elite strikers with more time to get shots off.
So, why has the same not occurred for a player as good on the ball as Trent is?
The obvious reason is Real Madrid's tactical setup. Pundits have always commented on the right-back's poor defensive stature in 1v1 duels, and on several occasions the Real Madrid setup left the Englishman isolated against quick wingers.
As Liverpool attempted, the Madrid side also sought to use Trent in an inverted role during build-up, an idea that did not produce the intended result due to spacing issues with wide forwards like Rodrygo.
Do Liverpool need Trent?
Under the stewardship of new manager Jose Mourinho, and with the new right-back signing of Denzel Dumfries, Real Madrid are undergoing a radical rebuild this summer and it does not look entirely clear how the former Red will fold into plans.
In a recent friendly against Fiorentina, the Scouser was selected ahead of Dumfries, utilised as a midfielder when the team had the ball in an attempt to utilise the right-back's playmaking abilities as a resource.
The defensive scene at Anfield looks much shakier. Whilst Andoni Iraola sees Conor Bradley as the long-term solution to the right-back position, he is currently battling fitness issues and the main first-team candidate at the minute is Jeremie Frimpong.
Under Arne Slot, Frimpong was brought in for his attacking quality on the right side in an attempt to replace the chance creation and goal contributions that the outgoing Trent had provided previously.
But after a lacklustre campaign where the Dutch international looked shaky defensively and only managed to create six big chances across the campaign, the numbers of the departed scouser would do the club wonders.
Would a deal for Trent suit Liverpool?
A deal to bring back Trent faces the obvious conundrum of whether the supporters would welcome a player who some look on as a traitor with open arms. The academy product did run down his contract with the club, and ensured minimal financial aid was on offer for finding his replacement.
But if Liverpool were to stomach that heartbreak, he could provide the perfect addition to Iraola's new squad.
With rumours that Liverpool will not be making defensive signings in the transfer market, partially due to the majority of the budget being sacrificed towards the potential signing of Bradley Barcola, a loan signing that could cost the club up to £10m in fees does look financially feasible.
With his time at the Cherries, Iraola looked towards his fullbacks to create big chances and whip balls into the box, as seen with both Liverpool residing Milos Kerkez and Frenchman Adrien Truffert.
Alexander-Arnold has familiarity with systems that ask him to press and contribute towards attacks, and has experience playing alongside Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez. To bring back Trent is not simply to sign a fantastic talent and one that fits Iraola's tactical unit, but to bring back what once represented a level head and a senior figure in the changing room.
A permanent return does feel improbable given how Alexander-Arnold's exit unfolded, but if the cost of bringing back one of Liverpool's greatest modern players is forgiveness, an imaginative loan agreement could become a conversation worth having.
Add us as a preferred source on Google