Trent Alexander-Arnold countdown begins as Arne Slot comments hint at Liverpool future

-Credit: (Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
-Credit: (Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)


On the weekend when stories of Trent Alexander-Arnold being set to buy Ligue 1 side FC Nantes were categorically dismissed, the Liverpool defender did at least seek to own the narrative on a big-money negotiation that is now all too real a prospect for supporters.

True to his word in Milan, when Alexander-Arnold told reporters waiting to catch a word with him post-match that he would make a beeline for them at Anfield instead, the right-back stopped to chat on a range of topics after his part in helping the Reds to a 3-0 win over Bournemouth.

That included a 100th goal involvement for his boyhood club, divided up as 19 goals and 81 assists, as he set up Luis Diaz for the second on the day. But if that huge figure is representative of his enduring excellence at Anfield, it's also symbolic for another reason as of Monday.

READ MORE: Trent Alexander-Arnold admits 'harsh' talks with Arne Slot as new Liverpool target emerges

READ MORE: 'Don't get dragged into it' - Virgil van Dijk sends clear challenge to Darwin Nunez at Liverpool

In one hundred days Alexander-Arnold will be free to speak to clubs outside of England about a pre-contract agreement and January 1 will be the official date from when the Reds' vice -captain is able to negotiate about a free transfer exit from Anfield.

Having initially attempted to keep quiet on the subject, Alexander-Arnold, as evidenced by his polite side-stepping of requests last month at Ipswich, knew the questions about his future would arise when he stopped to speak on Saturday afternoon and, unsurprisingly, they did.

"I have always said I want to captain the club, that is an aim of mine and a goal of mine, whether that happens is out of my hands," he said. "Look, I have been at the club 20-years now, I have signed four or five contract extensions and none of those have been played out in public. And This one won’t be either."

Alexander-Arnold's strategy has been to keep the public chatter around his future to a minimum out of respect for the club and his responses to those seeking further clarity on his situation were measured and sensible.

"I want to be a Liverpool player this season [as a minimum] is what I will say," he added. "The most important thing is always trophies if I am honest. I want to win trophies, I am a player who is highly motivated by trophies and winning things and being elite. So that is probably the main factor of anything, if you have a personality that is elite, who wants to win and will do anything to win then that is what drives me."

It's interesting to hear Alexander-Arnold speak of being driven by the pursuit of silverware. That is not an uncommon desire at the elite level but for someone who, at the age of 25, has lifted every top-level trophy available, the West Derby-born defender knows exactly what it is like to hoist aloft the game's biggest prizes and with the Reds entering a new era under Arne Slot, perhaps there has been a degree of caution around Alexander-Arnold's willingness to commit what are theoretically his best years to the club undergoing an undoubted transition off the pitch.

While Slot has added just Federico Chiesa to the group this summer, the amount of upheaval on the coaching and executive staff this calendar year has been quite significant and there is a school of thought that suggests Alexander-Arnold is - or has been - biding his time to see how it unfolds.

On the playing side it is so far so good, with just that shock defeat to Nottingham Forest last week the one blot on the copy book that has seen Liverpool win all five of their other fixtures in the Premier League and Champions League.

Alexander-Arnold also spoke about how much he is enjoying his time playing for head coach Slot, adding: "We kind of talked about targets and aims and I said to him that I would like to be the defender that no one wants to come up against in Europe. We agreed that he will be harsh on me. If any time an attacker gets by me and gets past me he will call it out in meetings and individual meetings and say this cannot happen.

"We go through every game together and he highlights where he wants me to improve. Even in the Milan game we had about 20 clips going through what I could have done better and the good parts as well.

"It is really refreshing to have a manager who will help and guide and teach me how to be better as a player. I am someone who wants to learn, someone who wants to be the best and someone who strives to be the best ever."

Knowing how studious he is as a player, it is likely he sought counsel last week on how best to diplomatically answer the contract questions that he knew were coming his way when he agreed to walk through Anfield's mixed zone on Saturday afternoon.

With the 100-day countdown to New Year's Day now on, however, Liverpool are entering a critical period now over this contract impasse. Alexander-Arnold may well have designs on fulfilling that lifetime ambition to one day become club captain at Anfield but one can be certain that Real Madrid will want to test that resolve as much as possible.