You can forgive sections of Liverpool fans for holding differing views on how Trent Alexander-Arnold should be treated ahead of his end-of-season exit.
The England international may even leave early ahead of the Club World Cup, with Real Madrid pushing to bring the fullback in ahead of his contract expiring on June 30.
Otherwise, the No.66 will be pulling on the famous red shirt potentially only twice more against Brighton and Crystal Palace.
Mo Salah shows Trent Alexander-Arnold support
Liverpool fans could be heard offering Alexander-Arnold a mixed reception as his name was read out on the stadium tannoy.
As expected, our No.66 hardly received the warmest of welcomes as Arne Slot brought his vice-captain on for Conor Bradley in the second half against Arsenal.
Mo Salah made sure that his teammate felt some appreciation, as Ian Doyle noted on X (formerly Twitter), when entering the pitch.
Audible jeers from some in the crowd as Alexander-Arnold comes on but also some cheers. Notably a clap from Salah on the pitch
— Ian Doyle (@IanDoyleSport) May 11, 2025
Neutrals and commentators still don’t get it
We perhaps shouldn’t be overly surprised to see neutral fans and commentators slamming Liverpool fans for their treatment of Alexander-Arnold.
The BBC live reporting page, from our Premier League clash with Arsenal, alone is littered with holier-than-thou appraisal of the home crowd’s reaction.
Spare us the criticism.
Unless you’re from the city or are a Liverpool fan with an understanding of the unique relationship between fans and local players, you probably shouldn’t be offering your two cents on the situation.
Give Conor Bradley as many minutes as possible
We don’t want the rest of the season to revolve around Trent Alexander-Arnold’s impending move to Real Madrid.
This should be a victory tour celebrating, in Arne Slot’s words, a second Premier League title in five years.
More to the point, we should just be looking to the future, as we have already done against Arsenal, by bedding in Conor Bradley ahead of the 2025/26 season.
The Northern Irishman has shown more than enough dynamism and defensive tenacity to get fans excited about the future of the right-back position.
There’s no question we’re losing some incredible quality on the right flank, but there’s no reason we can’t be optimistic about what lies ahead.
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