Liverpool information: Trent Alexander-Arnold switch return permitted as Arne Slot ‘so blissful’
Arne Slot has defended Liverpool’s transfer strategy after a nightmare season so far, while the return of Trent Alexander-Arnold has been discussed
Trent Alexander-Arnold has struggled at Real Madrid so far, while Liverpool have suffered in his absence(Image: Getty Images)
An opportunity for redemption awaits Liverpool in a week that has witnessed morale plummet dramatically among many of the club’s supporters.
The Reds return to action in the FA Cup on Friday as they make their second journey to Molineux this week to face Wolves in the fifth round. Their encounter in the Black Country on Tuesday saw the Premier League’s bottom club secure a shocking 2-1 victory courtesy over the reigning Premier League champions, due to Andre’s deflected strike in the 94th minute.
The loss – which marked Liverpool’s ninth league defeat of this nightmare campaign so far – sparked discussions regarding the team’s future trajectory under manager Arne Slot and whether he could lose his job in the summer. Here’s all the latest news from Anfield.
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Alexander-Arnold homecoming
A comeback to Anfield for Trent Alexander-Arnold would be labelled as an unlikely transfer by many, given the unsavoury way he left Liverpool, but for former Reds right-back Glen Johnson, it’s a switch he’d be delighted to witness.
The position has been one of persistent chopping and changing since the 27-year-old’s switch to Real Madrid last year, reports the Mirror.
Summer acquisition Jeremie Frimpong has battled muscle problems, whilst Conor Bradley remains sidelined for the remainder of the campaign following knee surgery.
The England star has endured a difficult beginning to his Madrid stint with his own fitness concerns, which have limited him to just seven La Liga starts this season.
Johnson – who spent six years at Liverpool – confessed Alexander-Arnold would be his preferred choice to feature as the Reds’ right-back next season.
The 41-year-old told Boyle Sport: “Who would be my choice to be Liverpool’s starting right-back next season? You’d love to see Trent back, of course you would.”
Arne Slot’s transfer statement
Slot presided over the most costly summer of signings in Premier League history when Liverpool splashed £450million on nine players – despite the fact they sold more than £200m of talent.
While it has been a far from successful beginning to life at Anfield for the likes of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, it was a window the Dutchman insists he is satisfied with, despite failing to replace key outgoing stars like Luis Diaz or sign a new experienced central defender when their move for Marc Guehi collapsed.
Slot said this week: “I’m so happy with what we did last summer. We signed such great players but some of them needed some time to adapt and some of them have mainly been injured.
“Adaptation you can predict because that’s what we knew, but that some signings and some others got some long-term injuries isn’t something you can predict.”
Acknowledging that Liverpool’s transfer strategy leans towards maintaining a smaller squad, Slot maintained he is content with the club’s approach, despite its limitations when multiple players are sidelined due to injuries.
He elaborated: “It’s the model that we don’t have 25 players over here. We have a different model over here. Then it hurts even more if you have three or four long-term injuries at the moment.
“I always knew when I came in here that this was the model and I’m really happy with that.”
