Gary Lineker shares his thoughts on Trent Alexander-Arnold leaving Liverpool for Real Madrid

Liverpool are reportedly beginning to plan for life without Trent Alexander-Arnold, with a focus on strengthening their right-back options for the future under new manager Arne Slot.

The club is keen to offer Conor Bradley, a promising young talent, a new contract soon. Bradley is expected to play a more significant role in the team moving forward under Slot’s management.

Liverpool are also looking to bring in a new right-back but are unlikely to view this signing as a direct replacement for Alexander-Arnold. Instead, the new player will compete with Bradley for a place in the starting lineup rather than being guaranteed a first-choice spot.

One potential alternative to Alexander-Arnold could come from a surprising source — a Tottenham full-back. This player would offer a similar level of creativity from the right side, which is a rare quality that few full-backs possess.

The recent loss to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final highlighted the absence of Alexander-Arnold’s unique creativity in the full-back position. This defeat emphasized why a traditional full-back may not be sufficient for Slot’s tactical setup, as the team clearly missed Alexander-Arnold’s attacking contributions.

Gary Lineker gave his thoughts on Alexander-Arnold’s potential departure to Real Madrid on ‘The Rest Is Football’ podcast.

Lineker confessed that he thought the move could be ‘absolutely brilliant’ for the Liverpool man, who won’t be so sorely critiqued for his lackluster defending at times.

Lineker said: “It looks like it might happen, but it’s not, we’re not sure yet. There’s obviously been an approach and he’s had a bit of stick from Liverpool fans and stuff.

“And it’s, I don’t mind saying, I think it would be an absolutely fabulous move for him. I think to play for Real Madrid is something that is very difficult to turn down. 

“I think it will be absolutely brilliant for him. He’s their sort of player because they like to see beautiful football and attacking football. He’s one of the best passes of the ball in the world’s game.

“We tend to focus in this country a little bit on the negative or the kind of weakness in a player’s game.

“Whereas over there, from my experience, they generally just focus on what you’re good at. So I think that will probably go away.

“I think it’s got to the stage now with the defending aspect of it, where if a winger goes past him, he gets stick.

“Now wingers go past full backs all the time, but nobody ever says anything. Now I know he’s not a great defender, but you can’t be great at everything.

“So it will be fascinating to see if it happens. I suspect it probably will. And I hope the Liverpool fans give him a really good send off, because I think for what he’s done for the club, he deserves it.”