Glen Johnson Warns Liverpool Against Trent Alexander-Arnold Reunion

Glen Johnson has warned Liverpool against a romantic reunion with Trent Alexander-Arnold, insisting the club should resist any temptation to bring the right-back back to Anfield just a year after his shock move to Real Madrid.

Alexander-Arnold’s departure last summer tore at the fabric of Liverpool’s support. With his contract running down towards June 2025, the academy graduate repeatedly delayed signing a lucrative new deal while Madrid circled. On May 30, 2025, the saga ended: Real Madrid paid €10million (£8.5m) to buy him out early so he could join in time for the Club World Cup.

For many Liverpool fans, it felt like a betrayal. This was the local lad who had spoken openly about dreaming of the captain’s armband. Instead, they watched him walk away after months of uncertainty, only for the club to receive a relatively modest fee.

The move has not gone to script in Spain. Alexander-Arnold endured a difficult first season at the Bernabeu, struggling to hit the level that once made him one of Europe’s most feared attacking full-backs. Madrid’s response has been ruthless: Denzel Dumfries has arrived this summer to crank up the competition on the right side of defence and push the Englishman for his place.

That combination – underwhelming form and a new rival – has sparked surprise whispers that Alexander-Arnold could already be on the move again. Liverpool have inevitably been mentioned as a possible destination, especially with Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley both suffering injury-disrupted campaigns.

Johnson, another former Liverpool right-back, is adamant the club should think twice.

“I’m not sure how the fans would receive that move,” he told Liverpool.com. “I can’t imagine they’d be too happy with it, to be honest, especially if Liverpool had to pay a fee for a local lad who left the club for free twelve months ago.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure the fans would warm back up to him after a while, but I don’t think he’s the same player as he was at Liverpool a year or two ago.

“He’s been a shadow of himself on the pitch since he left Liverpool, and if he’d been great, Real Madrid wouldn’t be letting him go. I wouldn’t re-sign him if I was making the decisions at Liverpool.”

It is a blunt assessment, and one that cuts through the sentimentality surrounding a possible return. Johnson’s view reflects a wider unease on Merseyside: the emotional pull of bringing back a hometown hero set against the cold reality of his recent form and the manner of his exit.

Madrid, though, are not pushing him towards the door. Spanish outlet AS reported earlier this month that Jose Mourinho, back in charge at the Bernabeu, wants Alexander-Arnold to stay. The Portuguese coach is said to believe he can revive the defender’s influence as a deep-lying playmaker, restoring the swagger that once defined his game at Anfield.

While Liverpool weigh up their options at right-back, Alexander-Arnold’s name has been dragged into another unlikely transfer fantasy. Earlier this summer, former Manchester United captain Antonio Valencia floated the idea of United making a stunning move for the England international.

“Trent is a player I like a lot,” Valencia said. “He has a very good right foot, he crosses well, and he is a player who defends well.

“He would be very good for Manchester United. He knows the Premier League. He knows what it means to win the Champions League and the Premier League.

“He is a passionate player, and I would like to see him at Manchester United.

“Hopefully it could happen, because we need players like that at Old Trafford. To play at that stadium, you need people with a lot of personality.

“Manchester always have to renew the squad, and this is a team that we hope can have a good Premier League season and win it.

“But in terms of a right-back… I just hope that whoever comes in can be the best possible option. And I hope [Diogo] Dalot does not leave, of course.”

The idea of Alexander-Arnold pulling on a United shirt borders on unthinkable given the depth of the rivalry with Liverpool. The reaction on both sides of the divide would be explosive.

For now, his future sits in a strange limbo. Madrid have brought in direct competition but a manager who believes in him. Liverpool have holes to plug at right-back but a fanbase still nursing a sense of betrayal and a former player urging the club to look elsewhere.

Alexander-Arnold left Anfield chasing a new chapter at the very top. The question now is whether he can still write it in Madrid – or whether this turbulent spell becomes the defining twist of a career that once seemed destined only to rise.