Slot influence key as Liverpool hurtle towards new Alexander-Arnold deal and with Real Madrid facing rejection (original) (raw)
Liverpool are gaining confidence that Trent Alexander-Arnold will sign a new deal at Anfield and with a journalist revealing when an announcement could be made, a former Arsenal star has explained two reasons why the player is better off remaining on Merseyside.
The 26-year-old is regarded as one of the world’s best right-backs having risen through the Reds academy ranks to win seven major honours at Anfield and having claimed a colossal 102 goal involvements (19 goals, 83 assists) from his 325 appearances so far in a Liverpool shirt. But with his contract due to expire next summer, Alexander-Arnold will be eligible to sign a pre-contract agreement with a club of his choosing from January 1 – now just 44 days away.
That hunt for his signature is being led by Real Madrid and the Spanish giants have not hidden away from the fact that Alexander-Arnold is a major target of theirs in the 2025 transfer windows.
However, after weeks of claims and counter-claims over the player’s future, journalist Graeme Bailey claimed last week that Liverpool have now tabled what is described as a ‘record offer’ to Alexander-Arnold in a deal that would see him become ‘the best-paid English player in the Premier League’.
Furthermore, it has been revealed that an announcement on his future is expected to arrive before Christmas and that FSG now have a major belief that Alexander-Arnold will indeed reject Real Madrid’s advances.
Discussing his future, former Gunners star Emmanuel Petit also reckons Alexander-Arnold has two reasons to stay, with loyalties to his hometown club and the fact that he is just as likely to win top honours at Anfield likely to see Real Madrid rejected.
“You know what, I’m not sure about Alexander-Arnold and Real Madrid. He has the opportunity to stay at a huge club like Liverpool and he can become one of the best players in the Liverpool history of a legendary and special club like Liverpool. That has to be something that is very interesting to him, especially as a local boy and a fan of the club,” Petit told InstantCasino.
“If he goes to Madrid, he’s going to play every single season hoping to win the Champions League, but I think it’s the same for Liverpool. Liverpool, every time they are involved in the Champions League, they want to win, but they don’t have the same recent history as Madrid in the competition. Madrid is the reference in the Champions League, but Liverpool is a huge club.”
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Sources have told TEAMtalk that officials from Real Madrid have been in what has been described to us as ‘constant contact’ with Alexander-Arnold’s entourage over a possible move to the Spanish capital.
And while their appeal is obvious – and aided by the presence of his closest friend in football, Jude Bellingham – we’ve been told his priority has always been to Liverpool.
To that end, while he has left open the possibility of moving to Spain, Alexander-Arnold has wanted to see how Liverpool would adapt to life under new manager Slot before committing to his future.
‘Alexander-Arnold told Liverpool that he wanted to wait until the opening months of the season to experience life under Arne Slot before deciding on his future,’ Bailey wrote on TBR.
‘Now, it’s understood that Alexander-Arnold is a fan of Slot’s style and has been impressed with how he has quickly taken control of the squad.’
Alexander-Arnold has also made clear how Slot has very quickly aided his game.
“He helps me and teaches me a lot,” Alexander-Arnold told FeyenoordPings. “He is strict with me, I like that. He helps me with the weak points in my game and he wants me to improve.”
Alexander-Arnold added: “He tells me where to stand to get the ball. You don’t get the ball there because someone will mark you, so why would you stand there?
“And if you are marked and other people come in and Ryan Gravenberch is marked, there is space behind him and you look for depth.
“It’s very in-depth. Very detailed. He always studies the opponent thoroughly and tells us where their weak spots are. Then we have to punish them on the field.
“The training sessions are much more intense. The spaces are much smaller. It’s a very Dutch way of playing, in terms of ball handling.
“You always have to play to the back foot. If you don’t, he stops the session. ‘Why do you pass to that foot and not to his back foot’? It’s that detailed.”
Petit also reckons Slot will have played a major part in convincing the player to extend his stay.
“Klopp put the club on a stage, and they should be on that stage forever. They are a club that should always be competing for the biggest prizes in football.
“The work of Slot, that’s been amazing since he’s come in. You should ask me this question next May because we’ll know more about the future of Van Dijk and Mo Salah and Liverpool may have won something by then too.”
Latest Liverpool transfer news: Salah issues Marmoush warning / Benfica star calls Slot ‘the best’
However, Salah insists Marmoush must be allowed to make his own way in the game, having explained why comparisons to the Reds icon do the Eintracht Frankfurt star no favours.
Elsewhere, Benfica midfielder Orkun Kokcu has done little to dispel speculation of a move to Anfield after labelling Slot “the best coach in the world”.
The Turkey star thrived under Slot’s management at Feyenoord and has been tipped to reunite with his former boss in a big-money deal next year.
Another midfielder strongly linked with a move to Anfield is Martin Zubimendi and the Real Sociedad star has delivered a fresh update on his future amid claims he is in line for a January move with the Reds now joined by Arsenal and Manchester City in the transfer chase.
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