Trent Alexander-Arnold scored the winner as Liverpool defeated Leicester City on Sunday afternoon, which now means winning the Premier League title this month has fallen into Arne Slot’s hands.
Should Arsenal lose against Crystal Palace at the Emirates on Wednesday, Liverpool will be crowned. If not, Anfield will be charged with a frenzy next weekend, the Reds knowing victory over Tottenham Hotspur will seal the deal.
There was something poignant about Trent’s winner, the ecstasy of moving within an inch of the trophy tempered by the knowledge that the boyhood hero, the homegrown superstar, probably scored his final goal for Liverpool.
Trent is set to leave Liverpool
Liverpool fans were divided in opinion after Alexander-Arnold scored and celebrated with such undiluted emotion at the King Power Stadium.
The more optimistic among us suggested the vice-captain’s celebration bespoke a passion that will see him renew terms, devote the remainder of his prime years to his boyhood club.
But this doesn’t feel likely. Fabrizio Romano has already corroborated an overload of Spanish reports in recent months that the England international will indeed sign for Real Madrid this summer, and it would take a remarkable turn of events for that to change now.
Premier League
255
18
65
Champions League
60
2
13
FA Cup
13
1
3
Carabao Cup
10
0
6
Europa League
5
0
2
Club World Cup
2
0
1
Community Shield
2
1
0
CL Qualifying
2
0
1
UEFA Super Cup
1
0
0
Sadly, wishing for a thing doesn’t make it so, and all the pointers suggest that Liverpool’s number 66 is poised to leave when his contract expires in a few months.
One of those pointers is that FSG have already mapped out plans to sign a replacement. He’s been one of the Premier League’s standout full-backs this season.
Liverpool already chasing Trent replacement
As per Caught Offside, Liverpool have set Nottingham Forest’s Ola Aina in their sights as they prepare for life without Alexander-Arnold.
The Nigerian defender has been in fine fettle for high-flying Forest this season and is months away from the end of his £40k-per-week contract, and may well be tempted by a bumper pay rise with the soon-to-be champions.
With Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur also lurking, Forest are piecing together a long-term offer to keep the 28-year-old at the club for the remainder of his prime years, but Anfield presents an enticing package indeed.
How Ola Aina compares to Alexander-Arnold
Nottingham Forest are sixth in the Premier League with just over one month of the 2024/25 campaign left to play. Nuno Espirito Santo has worked wonders, and Aina has been one of his most vital cogs.
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The one-year deal that Aina was tethered to when he joined Forest in July 2023, after his contract with Italians Torino expired, rather candidly comments on the hesitance behind the signing.
Though he’s currently set for free agency this summer, the City Ground side have been confident that an extension could be secured. The minutiae of the potential transfer is unclear, but Liverpool’s pull is a powerful thing.
Such a rumour might feel somewhat deflating, but Aina really has been among the finest full-backs in Europe this season, so important as the Tricky Trees chase down unexpected Champions League qualification.
His ability is uncontestable. In fact, the experienced ace has been described as “the best right-back in the Premier League” this season by former Nigeria international Julius Aghahowa.
It’s hard to dispute it. Defensively, at the least, Aina has been a force to be reckoned with, keeping 11 clean sheets across 30 top-flight fixtures while recovering 5.3 balls, winning 4.2 duels and making 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game, as per Sofascore.
He’s not averse to attacking play either. Aina has scored twice this term, the first of which carried Trent-esque technique as West Ham United were flattened by the ranged missile.
Moreover, he’s averaging a dribble per game this year, which is working out to a 55% success rate. Not bad going. Alexander-Arnold, for example, succeeds with just 48% of his ball-carrying attempts.
What about Conor Bradley? Here we find the crux of the argument. The reasoning behind FSG launching a bid for a wide defender at the north end of their 20s who simply doesn’t bring more than a mite of playmaking prowess that Alexander-Arnold will take with him as he capers off to Madrid.
Bradley has so much potential, and with Slot pleased with the Northern Irishman’s progress, it would take quite the right-back to oust him over many years.
Instead, by signing Aina, a sort of balance could be struck, keeping the finely-worked equilibrium on Anfield’s pitch at a productive angle.
To clear the fogs, so to speak, let’s have at how Aina compares to Alexander-Arnold, and how they look when their Premier League metrics from the current campaign are collated.
There’s plenty to unpack here, but we’ll try and simplify it.
First and foremost, it might appear like Aina pales in comparison to Liverpool’s star man, but it’s important to remember that Forest operate without possession. In fact, Nuno’s system has bred the least amount of possession in the Premier League this year, remarkable given they currently lie within the Champions League qualification zone.
Alexander-Arnold creates far more than Aina and curiously makes more tackles, but the Forest star’s duel success, athleticism and ability to take on and beat his man shines a light on his skill and how that could be perfect to slot in to compete with Bradley.
The confluence of styles that Bradley and Aina would project down the right flank could give Slot the right blend to tackle the forthcoming campaign.
Aina wouldn’t replace Alexander-Arnold’s supreme creativity; Liverpool must sign a new attacking midfielder to compensate for the loss of his playmaking.
However, this would balance, dynamise, you name it, Liverpool’s defence, giving Slot what he needs to challenge at the top once again while allowing Bradley to jockey for a place with a contrasting, older profile.
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