Trent Alexander-Arnold was coy in discussing his future, but it’s important not to read too deeply into the Liverpool vice-captain’s comments and instead understand that things will play out in due course.
You can be certain of one thing: Michael Edwards, Richard Hughes and Co will be fighting tooth and nail to reach an agreement with the homegrown superstar, who is of course playing the final campaign of his £180k-per-week contract.
The rather ominous obstacle in all of this is Real Madrid, Liverpool’s nemesis on the continent. The Reds have endured some tough times against Los Blancos over the years and now face the prospect of losing their biggest talent since Steven Gerrard to the European goliath. They are watching his situation closely, reports Fabrizio Romano.
How big an effect Alexander-Arnold’s friendship with Jude Bellingham will have is uncertain, but it could have been very different indeed, had the prodigious midfielder been signed to Anfield instead of Real Madrid.
Liverpool missed out on Jude Bellingham
Bellingham joined Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth £115m last summer after a prodigious few years in Germany.
He’s long been regarded as one of the biggest talents of his generation, and still only 21 years old, Bellingham is showing no sign of failing to reach the pinnacle of his potential, having played an instrumental role in winning the La Liga and Champions League last season.
Across all competitions in 2023/24, the England star scored 23 goals and added 13 assists across all competitions, wreaking havoc and being praised as “a gift for football” by his manager Carlo Ancelotti.
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La Liga 23/24: Jude Bellingham |
|
|---|---|
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Match Stats (*per game) |
# |
|
Matches (starts) |
28 (27) |
|
Goals |
19 |
|
Assists |
6 |
|
Pass completion |
90% |
|
Big chances created |
7 |
|
Key passes* |
1.7 |
|
Tackles + interceptions* |
2.3 |
|
Ball recoveries* |
4.2 |
|
Dribbles* |
1.8 (59%) |
|
Total duels won* |
6.7 (55%) |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|
The start to Bellingham’s current campaign has been disrupted by injuries but he placed an assist in the UEFA Super Cup as Madrid defeated Atalanta to start their season off with silverware, and returned last time out to help his side toward a dominant win over Espanyol.
He’s probably the most talented Englishman in the world, and he could have been doing it all at Liverpool. In April 2023, Liverpool withdrew from the race to sign Bellingham while he was still at Dortmund, with Jurgen Klopp‘s side instead focusing on sweeping changes rather than one marquee deal that would preclude multiple other high-quality stars from joining the fold.
£115m was a tall figure, for sure, but Liverpool made an (unsuccessful) £111m move to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton & Hove Albion later in the window. He ended up going to Chelsea but the money was clearly there.
Look, we don’t know the actual mechanics behind the saga. But Liverpool withdrew before the race heated up and instead moved to strengthen across a range of central positions. Still, it stings.
One that got away
The transfers that nearly happened but never did. This article is part of Football FanCast’s One That Got Away series.
Jude Bellingham’s market value in 2024/25
Now, Bellingham is widely regarded as one of the world’s best and it is anticipated that he will rank highly among the world’s best in the Ballon d’Or rankings, with the results announced on October 28.
Had Liverpool prevailed, they may well have strengthened their stance vis-a-vis Alexander-Arnold, who might be Liverpool’s most talented player. But indeed, Bellingham is more so, and his metrics reflect that.
As per FBref, the £337k-per-week phenomenon ranks among the top 7% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goal contributions, the top 1% for pass completion, the top 3% for progressive passes, the top 11% for tackles and the top 7% for interceptions per 90. He’s the very best of football’s complete midfielders.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent’s goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
His market value reflects exactly that. According to CIES Football Observatory’s player-valuing tool, the English ace boasts an audacious market price of £235m, which actually makes him the most valuable footballer on their database. Alexander-Arnold is good, but not quite that good.
Call this pragmatic, but Klopp successfully pieced Liverpool’s rusty midfield back together with exciting new components, and it’s worked a treat.
Still, Bellingham is a generational talent, and you can’t help but shake the feeling that he wanted to move to Merseyside…
