Why Real Madrid want Trent Alexander-Arnold – and what he would bring to Carlo Ancelotti’s side
It wouldn’t be the start of a new year without rumblings of the next galactico.
Six months on from the signing of Kylian Mbappe, and two years after the first murmurs of Jude Bellingham heading to the Bernabeu, there is another Englishman at the top of Real Madrid’s list.
The Athletic reported that Liverpool rejected an approach from the European champions in December, but a summer move remains on the cards, particularly as contract negotiations with his current side continue to stall and his existing deal expires at the end of June.
It’s the kind of deal that the Madrid president Florentino Perez has made his trademark. Tempting Alexander-Arnold away from his boyhood club, and one of the giants of English football, would be another emphatic statement of Madrid’s global power and appeal, strengthening their brand while adding another world-class player to their ranks.
It would also, like the signings of Thibaut Courtois, Eduardo Camavinga, David Alaba, Antonio Rudiger and Mbappe, be another deal in which Madrid made their move when the players’ contracts were reaching their final years. This tends to mean a lower fee, or no fee at all if the player is at the very end of their contract — though in that scenario they can demand a huge signing bonus (Mbappe will reportedly receive around €100million over the course of his contract, on top of his salary).
(Diego Souto/Getty Images)
Injury to Dani Carvajal has accelerated the process, but this is a player who has long been in their sights. At right-back, or even in a situational midfield role, this is what Alexander-Arnold could bring to Carlo Ancelotti’s side…
Away from the obvious significance of a deal for one of the world’s best players, the signing of Alexander-Arnold would represent the first marquee addition to Madrid’s back four in quite some time.
Fran Garcia returned to the club from Rayo Vallecano for €5million (£4.2m) in 2023, while Rudiger joined in June 2022 and Alaba in July 2021 — both on a free transfer. But you have to go back to 2019 — when Madrid signed both Eder Militao and Ferland Mendy for a combined fee of around €100million — to find significant investment in the defence.
That is largely down to the unerring consistency of some of the club’s longest-standing servants — and they won’t simply step aside for the Englishman, should he decide to join.
For many at the club, Carvajal is considered the perfect right-back due to his abilities in both attack and defence as well as his leadership and experience. He is quick, robust in one-v-one duels, and still has the fitness to run the flanks, where his crossing ability and link-up play are strong. Despite not being the tallest, he is also competitive in aerial duels, allowing him to play at centre-back when required.
But Carvajal is also out for the remainder of the 2024-25 season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in September. Carvajal, who turns 33 on Saturday and in October extended his contract at Madrid until 2026, has recently said that he hopes to return for the Club World Cup in the United States, which begins on June 14.
Lucas Vazquez has stepped into a full-back role in recent seasons, and while he is considered weaker in terms of positioning and duels, he tends to compensate with great physicality and competitiveness. His offensive contributions are also valued, while his professionalism and day-to-day presence in the dressing room help to knit together squad dynamics.
Vazquez, who turns 34 on July 1, wants to stay in Madrid and believes that he has a place even if Alexander-Arnold arrives. Understandably, given the age of those two players, the club see it necessary to start succession planning. The 26-year-old Liverpool player would freshen up an ageing part of the squad.
Unsurprisingly, those inside the club also admire Alexander-Arnold’s ability on the ball.
Last season saw the right-back take on the role of chief playmaker in Jurgen Klopp’s final term at Anfield, frequently dropping between the centre-backs or drifting into midfield to dictate proceedings from central areas, as shown below against Fulham…
“Before taking this (different role) on, I was only ever really able to break lines on the right side of the pitch,” Alexander-Arnold told The Athletic in May 2023. “I was never able to do it on the left. And if I was to play a good pass it would be a big switch, and they can only be so effective. This (central) position just opens up the whole pitch for me. I’m able to dictate the flow of the game — where we attack, how we attack and at what pace.”
Give him time and space on the ball, and he can turn a settled build-up into a dangerous attack in the blink of an eye — finding runners ahead of him without them having to break stride. As seen here against Aston Villa…
The speed and accuracy at which Alexander-Arnold can play these passes is something that will appeal to Madrid, who are sorely missing the long-range passing game of the recently retired Toni Kroos.
Particularly with such firepower out on each flank, the German’s ability to switch the play often helped to isolate Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo against their full-backs. This season, although Aurelien Tchouameni has attempted to replicate Kroos’s expansive passing from either a deep midfield role or while playing as a centre-back, the extra seconds it takes the Frenchman to get the ball out of his feet often makes the difference.
Alexander-Arnold is by no means perfect in his distribution and is clearly taking fewer risks with cross-field balls under Arne Slot this season, but the ease at which he sets up raking passes is something that Madrid believe they can hone.
As we can see from the visual below, while he wasn’t quite as accurate, Alexander-Arnold was the only player to attempt more 30+ yard passes per game than Kroos in Europe’s big five leagues in 2023-24.
Interestingly, Alexander-Arnold has returned to a traditional right-back role — by his own standards — since Slot arrived in the summer.
As the graphic below illustrates, Alexander-Arnold has not exclusively hugged the touchline from right-back in 2024-25. However, there is a notably lower share of touches in the central channel of the pitch compared to 2023-24.
Such versatility is of yet more appeal to Madrid, who envision him providing fluidity to the tactical setup, making an impact both in midfield and out wide where they can maximise his crossing ability.
While his performance in midfield did not quite go to plan for England in the European Championship, Madrid believe that his superb technical ability — like that of Bellingham — would allow forward-thinking young coaches Davide Ancelotti and Francesco Mauri to try different things, should they want to. Alexander-Arnold is predominantly viewed as a right-back by Madrid, though.
While he may be operating deeper and engaging in fewer crosses and switches of play under Slot, lower quantity does not equate to lower quality.
If anyone needed reminding of the creative threat he offers from right-back, Alexander-Arnold’s pinpoint cross for Luis Diaz’s opener against Tottenham Hotspur last month was his 84th assist for the club in all competitions.
The main criticism of Alexander-Arnold is his defensive limitations, and it is something that is viewed with relative concern from Madrid. His recent performance against Manchester United was one to forget on and off the ball, but there is evidence that his defensive discipline has improved this season having benefited from greater structure out of possession under his new manager.
The transitional style of football played under Klopp meant Liverpool’s No 66 had the freedom to go forward which occasionally left him out of position defensively. Under Slot, a greater out-of-possession structure means that Alexander-Arnold’s positioning and undervalued one-v-one defending have been more on show this season.
GO DEEPER
How Trent Alexander-Arnold’s passing has changed – and the importance of the letter ‘L’
“I’d say he (Slot) has explained how positioning is so important in football and where you are (on the pitch) — even when the ball is on the other side,” Alexander-Arnold said in a recent interview with Sky Sports.
“That changes throughout games and for each game depending on how the opposition is set up, and that is something I like — I like to be challenged.”
Will Alexander-Arnold and Bellingham link up in Madrid? (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Given the success that Madrid have had under Ancelotti when it comes to moulding players to new positions, there is confidence that Alexander-Arnold would adapt if he were to move to the Spanish capital. Defending the right flank in a 4-4-2 defensive shape, and wandering infield to dictate play with the ball, his potential role under Ancelotti contains nothing that we haven’t seen from him before.
Add Mbappe into the mix of players that he might be able to pick out in behind, and it’s easy to see why Madrid are sold on his talents.
(Additional contributors: Guillermo Rai, Mark Carey)
(Photos: Getty Images/Design: Eamonn Dalton)
