Alan Shearer has expressed his surprise that Liverpool have not yet offered Trent Alexander-Arnold a new contract.
The 26-year-old full-back’s current deal expires next summer, and new manager Arne Slot is yet to secure the English star to a new contract, reports Wales Online. Despite many Liverpool fans hoping that Alexander-Arnold will seize the opportunity to stay with his childhood club, he has once again been linked with Spanish giants Real Madrid.
As it stands, the defender would be free to negotiate with the Champions League winners during the January transfer window. Speculation about a move to the Bernabeu intensified when Madrid’s first-choice right-back Dani Carvajal was confirmed to have sustained a season-ending cruciate ligament injury earlier this month.
Shearer is worried that Liverpool have allowed Alexander-Arnold’s contract to run down without offering him any incentive to stay at Anfield. Speaking to Betfair, Shearer said: “Trent Alexander-Arnold impressed for England with a great goal, and playing at left-back. It would be crazy if the local boy was to leave Liverpool though, with his future still very much uncertain. The problem is, so long as he hasn’t signed his new contract, we’ll keep talking about the links with Real Madrid or elsewhere.
“We’re all amazed Liverpool have let it run down this far in terms of how long he has left on his contract, and bearing in mind in January, you can go and speak to other clubs, it’s a risky situation. It’s one we’ll continue to talk about until it’s resolved, one way or the other, but it must be a priority for Liverpool to get him tied down.”
Currently, the defender could potentially walk away from Liverpool on a free when this summer comes around, unless the club secure a new deal promptly. The Reds are now possibly facing the issue of selling their home-grown hero for much less than he’s worth this coming January, rather than allowing an exit without a fee.
Key players Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk are also approaching the end of their contracts by next summer, leaving fans anxious for the club to retain this crucial trio. Alexander-Arnold’s tenure at Anfield is noteworthy for any Liverpool fan, having emerged from the youth academy back in 2016 and racking up 319 appearances for the side since that moment.
The right-back’s first major honour was the coveted Champions League trophy, in a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the final under Jurgen Klopp.
Alexander-Arnold boasts a decorated career at Liverpool, being a vital part of the squad that secured the Premier League trophy for the first time in 30 years during the 2019/20 season. The Reds finished well ahead of their closest rivals, Manchester City, by a broad margin of 18 points and took glory back to Merseyside.
Alongside this, Alexander-Arnold’s trophy collection with the club includes an FA Cup, an EFL Cup, a Community Shield, a UEFA Super Cup, and a FIFA Club World Cup over the past eight years.
On the international stage, the defender has also shone for England, amassing 33 caps playing under managers Gareth Southgate and Lee Carsley since his first call-up to the national team in 2018. At present, Liverpool are in stellar form and forging ahead under the leadership of new manager Slot, who took over from Klopp earlier in the year.
The team have triumphed in six out of seven Premier League matches to date and are eager to extend their winning streak against Chelsea at Anfield later today. Their sole setback this season was a surprising 1-0 loss at home to Nottingham Forest in September, with Callum Hudson-Odoi scoring the only goal in the game.
Shearer has also stated that football fans are about to see if Liverpool can emulate their breathtaking 2019/20 season success in the coming weeks. He noted: “We’ve been saying how impressive Liverpool have been so far this season, other than their one hiccup at home to Nottingham Forest.
“People have been asking, ‘can they go the distance? Can they challenge Man City and Arsenal to win the Premier League?’ Well, we’re about to find out in the next six to eight weeks whether Liverpool are the real deal or not. They’ve made a really, impressive start under Arne Slot, who has gone in there, changed and tweaked a few things and showed what he can do with this side. They have some huge games over the next month, so it will be a real test to see what level they are at.”
Liverpool are set to soon face the likes of Arsenal, Brighton and Aston Villa after the Chelsea showdown – a trio of teams which could prove problematic for Slot should he fail to deliver the best team.
They also have to juggle the tough task of the UEFA Champions League, with fixtures against RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid scheduled over the course of the next month or so – but the team will head into each game high in confidence following a stellar start to the year.