“Jamie Carragher Reveals Bold Theory Behind Real Madrid’s Pursuit of Trent Alexander-Arnold”
“Jamie Carragher Unveils Bold Theory on Real Madrid’s Pursuit of Trent Alexander-Arnold”
Former Liverpool defender-turned-pundit Jamie Carragher suggested after the Reds’ draw with Manchester United that Trent Alexander-Arnold’s representatives may have encouraged Real Madrid’s recent offer, which was swiftly rejected by his Premier League club.
At Anfield on Sunday, defender Lisandro Martinez opened the scoring in the 52nd minute with a powerful shot that struck the crossbar, before Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo equalized just seven minutes later with a brilliant piece of play.
Mohamed Salah scored from the penalty spot to give Arne Slot’s side the lead for the first time, but Amad quickly equalized with ten minutes remaining in regular time. Despite the thrilling action on the field, much of the post-match focus has been on the external buzz surrounding Alexander-Arnold.
Alexander-Arnold has accumulated 20 goals and 85 assists in his 334 appearances for Liverpool.
Recent reports indicate that the Reds are keen to secure a five-year contract worth a staggering £78 million for the 26-year-old star, though nothing has been officially confirmed by the club, with all parties eager for a quick resolution.
Amid the post-match discussions, Gary Neville emphasized that playing in front of thousands of fans against Manchester United, especially with the uncertainty surrounding his potential contract extension, couldn’t have been easy: “That won’t be easy, the distractions of having all that noise.” Regarding Los Blancos’ offer, Neville commented:
“I thought it was insulting from Real Madrid. They often act like they can get whatever they want. Liverpool is a club of enormous stature, and they’re never going to sell Trent Alexander-Arnold for £20 million in January. It’s just disrespectful. I think that would have unsettled him this week.”
Neville then made a bold remark, suggesting that Carragher had previously claimed Alexander-Arnold’s camp might have encouraged last season’s Champions League winners to make a bid, possibly to improve the defender’s image amid the growing tension between him and the Anfield faithful.
“He [Carragher] said he believes Trent’s representatives would have encouraged the bid from Real Madrid. Personally, I think that’s quite a bold statement to make.”
In response, the former Liverpool defender remarked: “I’m not naive enough to think Real Madrid would put in a bid for a player they can sign for free in six months. He’s facing a lot of criticism over the possibility of leaving for nothing.
“If Real Madrid make an offer in January and Liverpool reject it, then at the end of the season they can say, ‘Well, you were offered £30-40 million.’ For me, it was just a way to buy some time.”
"The bid from Real Madrid is bad timing for him…It's insulting"@GNev2 and @Carra23 don’t hold back on their thoughts about Real Madrid's bid for Trent Alexander-Arnold 😨 pic.twitter.com/A6Whz05JQG
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 5, 2025
During the half-time interval, former Manchester United player Roy Keane, working as a pundit for Sky Sports alongside Daniel Sturridge, jokingly suggested that a move to League Two club Tranmere Rovers seemed more likely after witnessing Alexander-Arnold struggle to contain an out-of-position Diogo Dalot.