Why is Trent Alexander-Arnold being linked with a move from Real Madrid after seven games?
There is Premier League interest in Trent Alexander-Arnold just 89 days after his signing was announced by Real Madrid. Here's what's been happening in the Spanish capital.
Sometimes football outdoes itself. Trent Alexander-Arnold was first linked to Real Madrid in March of 2024, and after a lengthy, arduous if you were covering it, and heated if you asked fans on Merseyside, he signed for Los Blancos. It has taken just 89 days since he did so for a move to be suggested. So here is the genesis behind the story.
Who is being linked with Alexander-Arnold?
Writing exclusively on Caught Offside, Inkykaila explained that Manchester City were keeping a close eye on Alexander-Arnold at the Santiago Bernabéu. Having admired him on previous occasions, and approached him twice, City still hold some affection for the former Liverpool man. Indykaila, the summer’s revelatory transfer account, goes on to claim that if Real Madrid were so disposed, they could attract a €75m offer for the right-back they signed for just €10m in May.
Where does the story come from?
In essence, from Xabi Alonso dropping him on Sunday. There is no denying that Alexander-Arnold has had a discreet start to life in the Spanish capital. He provided two excellent assists during the Club World Cup, evidence of the devilish delivery that has made him most famous, but that was blended in with some defensive frailties that are just as familiar to Premier League viewers. After winning over the fans early on with his Spanish, he has cut something of a solemn figure on the pitch since, compared with, for example, his much more expressive friend Jude Bellingham on his arrival.
It will be no surprise to close observers of Real Madrid that this has already earned him some criticism in the local press, despite playing just seven games. This on its own is no concern for Real Madrid, but for Alexander-Arnold, it might be more of a worry. Primarily due to one man - Dani Carvajal. The 33-year-old was expected to be eased back into the side, only getting back up to full speed in late September or October, but Alonso started him against Real Oviedo last Sunday, and the comparison to Alexander-Arnold’s bland showing against Osasuna the previous week was not flattering for the England international.
Perhaps it doesn’t help that Carvajal is everything that Alexander-Arnold isn’t in terms of a defender. Now captain, Carvajal is incorrigible, relentless, aggressive and one-on-one is amongst the most solid at his position in the world. Given his standing, his character, and what he provides for a Real Madrid side already blessed with no shortage of the technical ability Alexander-Arnold has in spades, many see it as a natural choice to restore Carvajal to the line-up if he is the same player that has come back from his cruciate ligament injury.
Could Real Madrid consider an exit for Alexander-Arnold?
The short answer, at this stage, is almost certainly not. It took a matter of hours for local media to respond with articles proclaiming complete faith in their new signing, and what sort of an institution would Real Madrid be if they had doubts in the player they spent more than a year pursuing already?
It is true that Real Madrid could turn a swift and sizable profit on the 26-year-old, but the same player that is the root cause of the story, is the same reason Real Madrid won’t countenance selling Alexander-Arnold. Carvajal is now into his thirties, and as a general rule, Real Madrid only extend the contract of their veterans by one-year, anticipating that when the drop-off comes, it could be sudden.
Neither does Carvajal boast the same fitness record as Luka Modric. He has a long history of injuries, and although that has improved over the last few years, his cruciate injury left Real Madrid vulnerable last season, hence the signing of Alexander-Arnold.
Los Blancos feel they need a successor for Carvajal sooner rather than later, and Alexander-Arnold is as good an option as they will find on the transfer market. Even if they could turn that profit, how much of it would Real Madrid have to invest in Carvajal’s eventual successor, and would they be any better? While City may be interested, and Alexander-Arnold may have to ‘suck on the bench’, as Carlo Ancelotti so eloquently put it last season, for longer than he’d like, he is the long-term plan for Real Madrid at right-back.