Trent Alexander-Arnold warming up for Liverpool (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold reportedly decided to leave the club once he found out that Jurgen Klopp would be stepping down as manager.
The Reds replaced Klopp with Arne Slot last summer, and he’s proven a superb appointment as the club now look all but guaranteed to win the Premier League title this season.
Still, Klopp is a legendary figure at Anfield and was a key part of Alexander-Arnold’s development, so it’s perhaps not too surprising that this heavily influenced his decision on whether or not to sign a new contract.
A report from the Mirror states that Klopp’s exit ended up being key for Alexander-Arnold, who is now widely reported to have neared a full agreement with Real Madrid.
The England international will be a free agent this summer, having decided not to stay at Anfield despite Slot doing such impressive work since replacing Klopp.
Trent Alexander-Arnold on how Jurgen Klopp’s exit “shook the dressing room”
The signs were arguably there already, with Alexander-Arnold previously speaking to the Athletic about just how shaken he and the rest of the LFC squad were by Klopp’s surprise announcement that he was leaving.
“It started like a normal day. Then the manager called a meeting at 10:30am, which we had never had before, so everyone was like, ‘What’s going on?’,” Alexander-Arnold said.
“He came into the changing rooms and told us there was news breaking as he was speaking. So we found out as players at the same time as everyone else but he told us personally.
“He said that this had to be his last season, that he needed a break to spend time with his family. I didn’t know what to do… After he left the room, everyone was just sat there thinking, ‘Has that just happened?’… It kind of shook the dressing room for a couple of hours.”
Alexander-Arnold surely has what it takes to be a superb signing for Real Madrid, who will be delighted as they close in on this superb piece of business on a free.
This follows the Spanish giants also snapping up Kylian Mbappe for free last summer when he ran down his contract at former club Paris Saint-Germain.
Still, Alexander-Arnold had been at Liverpool for his entire career after coming up through the academy, so fans will likely feel betrayed by the 26-year-old for not sticking with them like Steven Gerrard did.
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