Arsène Wenger believes Trent Alexander-Arnold’s anticipated switch to Real Madrid signals a growing shift in football, where top-tier players increasingly allow their contracts to run out in order to secure more lucrative personal terms — bypassing massive transfer fees.
The Liverpool right-back has announced he will leave the club once his current deal expires, with Real Madrid poised to sign him on a free transfer. This mirrors the situation with Kylian Mbappé, who joined the Spanish giants from PSG under similar circumstances last year.
Speaking to beIN SPORTS, former Arsenal boss Wenger explained:
“This is part of a new pattern — elite players no longer move for huge fees. Instead, they let their contracts expire because wages have reached such high levels that clubs can no longer afford both a transfer fee and a salary package. For example, if you want to sign someone like Marcel Desailly today, the cost is so high you’d need to drop the transfer fee entirely. So clubs start planning years in advance, offering big wages and waiting out the contract expiration, as Madrid did with Mbappé.”
Wenger added that Real Madrid had been in contact with Alexander-Arnold for quite some time in preparation for this move.
Though Alexander-Arnold appears Madrid-bound, he still has a few games left in a Liverpool shirt. The Reds are set to face Arsenal this weekend, followed by fixtures against Brighton and Crystal Palace to close out the Premier League season.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent Alexander-Arnold
EnglandThis season he played in total 31 times for 2309 minutes for Premier League.
Trent Alexander-Arnold scored 3 goals for Liverpool. He procured 6 assists. He received 5 yellow cards and no red cards.
His team is currently 1st in Premier League. In the last match Liverpool lost 3-1 against Chelsea. The next match in Premier League will be against Arsenal.
Liverpool performance and stats
Liverpool is currently 1st in the Premier League with 82 points.
In the last 35 games, it has won 25 times, drew 7 times, and lost 3 times. In its last match, Liverpool lost 3-1 against Chelsea.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 81 goals and conceding 35.
Liverpool will play the next match in Premier League against Arsenal on Sunday 11th of May in Liverpool.
