Trent Alexander-Arnold was true to his word.
With the Liverpool squad dashing straight for the airport after their Champions League away win against AC Milan on Tuesday, the England right-back promised reporters in the bowels of San Siro he would stop to chat with them after Saturday’s Premier League game against Bournemouth at Anfield.
Numerous interview requests have been rejected by the 25-year-old’s camp this season in the knowledge that the conversation would inevitably centre around his future. Alexander-Arnold, like his Liverpool team-mates Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, is going to be out of contract next summer as things stand.
With discussions over a new deal ongoing, it’s a sensitive topic, but to his credit, Alexander-Arnold stuck to his Milan vow after helping Arne Slot’s side secure an emphatic 3-0 win over Bournemouth.
It was a contest that underlined his immense value to Liverpool as he celebrated his 100th goal involvement for the club in all competitions (19 goals, 81 assists). He’s the youngest player to reach that milestone for Liverpool since Steven Gerrard, who got there 278 days faster in 2005.
Over eight minutes, Alexander-Arnold talked about his contract situation, the pursuit of glory, his growing bond with new head coach Slot and explained how they are working together to keep improving the defensive side of his game.
Here’s the best of what he had to say — and the context to it.
What is the situation with your future?
Alexander-Arnold: “Look, I have been at the club 20 years now. I have signed four or five contract extensions and none of those have been played out in public. This one won’t be either.”
It was clear that Alexander-Arnold wasn’t looking to get a message across. At no point in this process has he sought to exert pressure on Liverpool through the media and that respectful stance towards a club he has represented since the age of six shows no sign of changing.
The present situation is very different to his previous renewals, as he’s never entered the final year of a contract before. He signed his current one in the summer of 2021, having previously agreed extensions in January 2019 and July 2017. But if there’s any sense of frustration privately over how late Liverpool have left it this time, Alexander-Arnold certainly hasn’t shown it publicly.
You’ve spoken in the past about wanting to be Liverpool captain one day and potentially a one-club man. Is it still your desire to do that?
Alexander-Arnold: “I have always said I want to captain the club. That is an aim of mine and a goal of mine, whether that happens is out of my hands, to be honest.”
Do you want to stay?
Alexander-Arnold: “I want to be a Liverpool player this season (as a minimum) is what I will say.”
The words in brackets there are important. He didn’t say it in the context of only wanting to be a Liverpool player for the rest of this season. It’s simply that he can’t commit publicly to any longer than that currently as it’s how long is left on his contract. There’s an ongoing process as talks with sporting director Richard Hughes continue. It’s one of the biggest issues Hughes inherited when he made the move from fellow Premier League side Bournemouth this summer.
As for the captaincy and being a one-club man, it’s not solely Alexander-Arnold’s decision. Jurgen Klopp gave him the vice-captaincy last year and he has retained it under Slot. However, when the skipper’s role next becomes available at Anfield will depend on what happens with current captain Van Dijk’s future.
What is most important to you in the decision-making process over your future?
Alexander-Arnold: “The most important thing is trophies. I want to win trophies. I’m a player who is highly motivated by winning things and being elite. That’s probably the main factor of anything. If you have a personality that’s elite, who wants to win and will do anything to win, then that’s what drives them.”
You’ve had that at Liverpool so far in your career. Do you see anything changing?
Alexander-Arnold: “We were close to the title last season and we won a cup. The quadruple was on for a while, I suppose, so the signs were there. This season, we’re looking really good. It’s still early days but we need to show a lot of consistency and beat a lot of teams. It will be difficult, but we’re looking to win as many trophies as we can.”
Alexander-Arnold was a Champions League, Club World Cup and Premier League title winner at age 21. As he enters the peak years of his career, it’s understandable that he wants to be competing for and winning the biggest prizes once again. He will also want a contract that suitably recognises his value and his status in the game.
Speculation linking him with Real Madrid persists but top sides all across Europe will be keeping a close eye on developments given such a talent could be available as a free agent next summer. He could potentially sign a pre-contract agreement with a club overseas from January 1, but Liverpool are desperate to avoid that scenario.
The uncertainty hasn’t affected Alexander-Arnold’s form or focus.
Since returning to club duties after helping England get to the final of the European Championship in July, he has thrown himself into the start of a new era at Anfield. Hearing him talk about how he created Liverpool’s second goal for Luis Diaz on Saturday, his enthusiasm for Slot’s brand of football shone through. After so much talk concerning his best position for both club and country, he’s relishing being given a licence to drift into central areas from right-back and spearhead attacks.
“It’s freedom,” he said. “For instance, if Ibou (Ibrahima Konate) gets the ball and plays it to Mo (Salah), and Mo has no one there with him, I kind of anticipate that someone has to be there for a bounce pass, so as the ball goes I start to sprint.
“The winger doesn’t track me. Mo sees me, plays it to me and then I break free. Then it’s about making your choices going into the box. Darwin (Nunez) made a good run, I could see Mo making a run across but I thought he might be a bit too wide, and then Dom (Dominik Szoboszlai) made a run to take someone away, so Lucho (Diaz) was free. I played it to him and he tucked it into the back of the net.
“They had the disallowed goal early on but after that, we controlled the game. It’s working well. There was a big emphasis on midfield overloads and getting the triangles right. That was something we worked on in training on Friday. We executed it to perfection.”
Slot also made a point on Saturday of complimenting Alexander-Arnold on his defending against both Milan, when he kept Portugal international and 2021-22 Serie A Most Valuable Player Rafael Leao so quiet, and Bournemouth. The player believes he’s benefiting from the Dutch coach’s attention to detail as they sit together to analyse matches.
“We kind of talked about targets and aims, and I said to him that I would like to be the defender that no one wants to come up against in Europe,” Alexander-Arnold explained on Saturday. “We agreed that he will be harsh on me. Anytime an attacker gets past me, he will call it out in meetings and say this cannot happen. We go through every game together and he highlights where he wants me to improve.
“Even in the Milan game, we had about 20 clips going through what I could have done better, and the good parts as well. It is really refreshing to have a manager who will help and guide and teach me how to be better as a player. I am someone who wants to learn, someone who wants to be the best and someone who strives to be the best ever.”
Alexander-Arnold knows there are continuing doubts about his defending. “And I think that was perhaps harsh, if I am honest. It was a big perception and it was hard to kind of shrug off with just one good defensive game,” he said.
“But when you put a lot together, we have had four out of five clean sheets (in the 2024-25 Premier League so far). That is exceptional from a back line. ‘Defences win championships’ is the old saying and being part of that defence means I have responsibilities to make sure my winger doesn’t get a sniff in the game. I lay targets for every game — how many times am I dribbled past, how many times does he get a cross in, how many times (does the opponent get) a shot.”
Yet it’s that exquisite range of passing and his creative spark which continues to separate him from his peers. A century of goal involvements in 316 appearances is remarkable for a right-back.
“Good numbers! I think I’m capable of many, many more, to be honest,” he added. “For now, I’m completely focused on this season — how many goals, assists, clean sheets can I get, and hopefully do enough to help us win the league.”
Alexander-Arnold’s importance to Liverpool is greater than ever as those discussions over his future continue.
(Top photo: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
