Farewell, Trent
Trent Alexander-Arnold confirmed the worst-kept secret in England by announcing that he is leaving the club at the end of the season. Liverpool fans have been passionate, to say the least. Andy Robertson got it right when he said it isn’t for us to tell each other how to feel, and I won’t do that here. But I, for one, bear Trent no ill will.
READ MORE: Whatever Happened To Hicks and Gillett? by Chris Hallenbrook
SUBSCRIBE & FOLLOW: YouTube / X (Formerly Twitter) / Instagram / TikTok / Patreon / BlueSky
Trent Is No Villain
As such, it has been disappointing watching Trent booed, jeered, and treated as a villain. Trent is famously a local lad and a boyhood Liverpool fan. He decided to move on to what he referred to as new challenges in his journey, making the decision all the harder for him. It will have made the hostile reaction he got when subbed on against Arsenal all the more painful. Trent has been a phenomenal player for Liverpool. He’s recorded 23 goals and 86 assists in all competitions as a right back. His defending is better than his detractors claim.
Liverpool has won eight major trophies, including two leagues and a European Cup, with Trent in the backline. At
their peak, Trent and Robertson were an insanely lethal assist threat at the fullback position, allowing Liverpool to thrive when getting minimal goal involvements from the midfield. More importantly, he has filled our memory bank with sublime free kick goals, beautiful assists, and “corner taken quickly….Origi!!!!”
Easy To See The Other Side
I’m certainly annoyed that he’s leaving on a free transfer. This is a major complaint that’s been leveled against Trent. Liverpool’s transfer fund would have benefited from cashing in on a world-class player in his prime. But we’d have lost out to gain that value. At the very least, we’d have lost out on Trent’s production this season. Three goals and six assists across 32 games in the league and an assist in Europe only begin to tell the story of Trent’s value to the team. I’d rather lose players on free transfers and win trophies than cash in their transfer value and fall short of silverware.
It hurts that he’s leaving for Real Madrid. I truly despise that club, not just because they’ve repeatedly broken our hearts in Europe. I never miss an opportunity to tell the story of when Franco sent his minister of state security into the Barcelona locker room during halftime of El Clásico, resulting in Barca conceding something like seven goals to Real in the second half. Beyond what has happened on the pitch between our clubs, I hold Real’s having been the Spanish fascists’ club against it.
Fully Prepared
I braced myself for this earlier in the season when Trent said the decision would be about his legacy. Many Liverpool fans were heartened by this, seeing it as a signal he wanted to build a legacy as a Liverpool lifer. But I took it the other way. He has won everything there is to win at Liverpool and is still only 26 years old. He could stay, win another couple of leagues, a European title, some more cups, and be a Liverpool legend. Or he could go to Real Madrid, the glamour club of global football, win 3-5 leagues, multiple European titles, and become a Galáctico. The latter path increases his global profile and legacy. I can’t begrudge him that.
So farewell, Trent. You’ll Never Walk Alone.