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Trent Alexander-Arnold will face few issues adapting to life in Spain should his expected move to Real Madrid materialise, says former Liverpool right-back Glen Johnson.
Alexander-Arnold’s future at Anfield has been the subject of much debate this campaign, with the four-year contract he signed in 2021 set to expire in June.
Spanish and European champions Madrid have long been credited with an interest in Alexander-Arnold, and widespread reports on Tuesday claimed he has told his current club of his desire to move to Spain.
Alexander-Arnold first joined Liverpool’s academy at the age of six in 2004, and his glittering spell with his boyhood club looks set to end with a second Premier League winners’ medal.
He has also won the FA Cup, EFL Cup, Community Shield, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup since breaking into the Reds’ first team in 2016-17.
Should he complete a move to the Santiago Bernabeu, Alexander-Arnold will become just the seventh Englishman to represent Madrid since the Spanish league system was founded in 1929.
And with Three-Lions team-mate Jude Bellingham already excelling in LaLiga, Johnson expects Alexander-Arnold’s adaptation to be seamless.
Speaking exclusively to Stats Perform, Johnson said: “It’s not signed and done yet, but obviously it looks likely. He’s a world-class player, and he’s got plenty of years in front of him.
“I’m sure Jude will help him settle in. I’m sure the club and everyone around him will help him settle if the move goes ahead.
“Good players adapt pretty quickly, so if it goes ahead then I have no doubt that he’ll settle in and enjoy it.”
Johnson left Liverpool at the end of the 2014-15 season, just over a year before Alexander-Arnold was handed his senior debut by former Reds boss Jurgen Klopp.
“I didn’t actually know him in the academy,” Johnson reflected. “When we were at the club at the same time, obviously I knew the name, but he never trained with the first team when I was there.
“I didn’t know much about how he played then. You just hear about some good talents coming through in all sorts of different positions, so we never actually crossed paths when we were together.”
Alexander-Arnold has become renowned for his creativity at full-back, with his 64 assists the most by any defender in Premier League history, ahead of team-mate Andy Robertson (59).
Having also scored 17 goals, he is second for total goal involvements among all defenders in the Premier League (81), after former Wigan Athletic and Everton left-back Leighton Baines (85).
His output has dropped off in the last two seasons, though.
His seven goal contributions in 2023-24 were his fewest in any Premier League campaign since 2017-18 (two), and he has eight so far this term (two goals, six assists).
Alexander-Arnold’s 254 Premier League appearances put him ninth among all Liverpool players, but he could overtake Roberto Firmino before the end of the season, with the Brazilian two ahead of his total. Jamie Carragher leads the way with 508, marginally ahead of Steven Gerrard’s 504.
