To borrow Jude Bellingham’s words from last month: ‘When Real Madrid come knocking, the whole house shakes.’
On Tuesday, Real Madrid and their president Florentino Perez intended to knock on Liverpool’s door — but were chased down the street before they had set foot on the driveway.
An enquiry from the Spanish champions to the Premier League leaders about signing Trent Alexander-Arnold this month was swiftly rebuffed and that, as far as Liverpool are concerned, is that.
Discussions never got as far as ‘here is our offer’ because Real were turned away before money could even be discussed.
But be under no illusion: the games have begun.
In truth, they were already well under way, ramped up over the weekend when Marca, the newspaper most closely linked to Los Blancos, ran a front-cover headline suggesting that Alexander-Arnold had decided to head to Madrid.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has the call of a lifetime to make as he weighs up leaving Liverpool
Liverpool swiftly rebuffed Real Madrid’s approach on Tuesday, but the games have just begun
Reports in Spain claim Alexander-Arnold has already decided to join Los Blancos, while Liverpool sources insist he shows no desire to leave
That was backed up on Saturday when multiple sources in Spain told Mail Sport of the 15-time European champions’ confidence that they would tempt him to join them. All the noise from the Spanish capital was positive that Alexander-Arnold would soon be their man.
Liverpool have adopted a calmer approach. It is understood dialogue between the club and Alexander-Arnold’s camp has been ongoing for months and the Reds have never been given any indication he wants to leave.
There are multiple sides to this story and it is worth saying no decision has been made either way yet. Alexander-Arnold has the call of a lifetime to make here and there are significant pros and cons to both options.
The appeal of joining Real is obvious: Alexander-Arnold has won everything he can in England, can claim more silverware in Spain and perhaps gain a better foundation to take individual gongs such as the Ballon d’Or.
He would play with his good pal Bellingham and experience a new way of life in a new country.
On the flipside, he could cement himself as a true Liverpool legend if he were to stay. He is the heir-apparent to the captaincy at his boyhood club and, as a local lad, there are few honours greater than skippering this team. And, arguably, Liverpool are a better team than Real right now.
Michael Owen discussed the pros and cons on this platform on Christmas Eve — which, given the rapid development of this saga, feels like it was six months ago — but the difference here is, unlike Owen and Steve McManaman, Alexander-Arnold does not need to leave to win the big trophies.
Madrid’s appeal is obvious – he can compete for silverware, play with Jude Bellingham, and perhaps have a better shout for the Ballon d’Or
Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is keen to sign a new right back to bolster his injury-hit squad
However, Liverpool are arguably the better side at the moment and beat Madrid in November
All the talk in Spain over the weekend, and indeed all season, suggested a January move was not on the cards. That remains the case and Liverpool’s rebuttal all but shuts the door on it.
But the fact Real even tried is significant and is part of their mind-games strategy.
Given all the talk, one could not blame Alexander-Arnold if his head were turned and distraction affected him in the coming days.
That has not been the case so far — just look at his celebration at West Ham last Sunday — and is unlikely to change. He is committed to Liverpool’s objectives.
In October, Reds boss Arne Slot was asked whether Real courting Alexander-Arnold would distract the player and he said: ‘You underestimate our players. They are used to being linked with all the top clubs on a daily basis, if they have contracts or not.
‘If you think they’re disturbed by these interests, then I think you don’t do justice to how strong they are mentally and what they are used to.
‘This is part of our job. This is part of the world we are living in. You just focus on what you have to do. Maybe if you’re 17 or 18 years of age, that could be difficult for you.
‘But Trent has won the Premier League, he has won the Champions League, Virgil (van Dijk) and Mo (Salah) the same. I don’t think that it is a problem for them to perform.’
Arne Slot has insisted that Liverpool’s contract sagas are not a distraction to the players
This is descending into a phoney war, words exchanged with little action to back them up. Real use their media mouthpieces, Liverpool sit quietly and patiently and insist that there is nothing to worry about.
Slot is often the man tasked with finding new ways to answer awkward questions. They come almost daily — ‘Any updates on contracts?’ — and the response is always the same. To his credit, he has a laugh and joke about it but he must be tired of having to face up and give straight-bat replies.
Which brings us to the point that there is only one man who can stop all the noise, the questions, the debate and the soap-opera: Alexander-Arnold himself. Instead of the cryptic celebration pointing to his ear, communicating his decision would silence it all.
There is a school of thought in some quarters of Liverpool’s fanbase that this is the sort of saga which could derail their title bid. Given Slot’s tendency to dismiss any perceived bump in the road, that is unlikely — but it is certainly something to consider.
The saga does not help anyone at Liverpool. Not Slot. Not the dressing room, which is now awash with uncertainty. And not Alexander-Arnold himself, who is receiving strong criticism from some supporters for not committing his future to his boyhood team.
Many have questioned whether Real would even try their luck at signing him in January if they had not been given encouragement that he wants to join them.
That is a fair point, but as one source put it: ‘This is Madrid throwing in a grenade and seeing what happens.’
Liverpool, though, are no soft touches. With experienced heads running the club, they were never going to flinch at the first sight of danger and let Alexander-Arnold walk away without fighting to keep him.
Liverpool are also in negotiations with Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk over new contracts
It is not worth cashing in on Alexander-Arnold in January while he is helping a title charge
It was the same with Philippe Coutinho seven years ago, when they dug their heels in and managed to draw a £146million fee from Barcelona. Liverpool were laughing all the way to the bank and reinvested that money on Van Dijk (£75m) and Alisson (£64.6m). Although balance-sheets will not prove it, cashing in on Alexander-Arnold now — for fear of losing him for free in the summer — is not worthwhile for Liverpool unless Real’s offer is astronomical.
If the 26-year-old can help the Reds to win the Premier League or Champions League, he is worth keeping.
Predicting Alexander-Arnold’s future is complex. All the noise in Spain suggests he is already their man, while those on Merseyside are relaxed and insist they have had no indication that he wants to jump ship.
But there is one safe bet: this saga is only in its infancy and more Real mind games are coming soon. Happy New Year.
