Liverpool news: Opinion – Fan writer on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s ‘aspirational U-turn’

This week’s update on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s potential move to Real Madrid has confirmed a lot of Liverpool fans’ long-held fears – that the player seemingly wants to go and it’s not just his potential future employers playing their usual transfer games out in the media.

The reports have not come as a huge shock, but they are no less disappointing to read. He’s a local lad who, to this point, has made it clear he had aspirations of captaining the club he supports, a one-club man and all at a club where – in his own words – it meant more to win trophies because of how his employers operate compared to their rivals.

Now, with the prospect of cashing out on his childhood dreams in favour of being part of “a machine that’s built to win” – again, his own words, but about Manchester City – it is no surprise that fans are not showing a lot of desire to hear the logical arguments around a move that admittedly can make sense once emotions are put to one side

Yet Trent’s Liverpool career has in many ways been built on emotion so far and he has benefited from the buy-in of the fans, so it should not be a shock to him if those same fans have an emotional reaction to what is seemingly an aspirational U-turn – especially when, crucially, his boyhood club gets nothing tangible in return for his departure.

However, Liverpool supporters will not let it overshadow what they are set to go on to achieve this season. While his legacy as a fan favourite is likely damaged beyond repair now, we can all see that there is a more important task at hand here for our club and that is bigger than one man.

Reds have seen heroes leave in the past and bounced back – and the same will be true this time around.

See more from Josh Sexton at The Anfield Wrap