Trent Alexander-Arnold has explained why he has decided to inform Liverpool FC of his decision to leave the club at the end of his contract.
The 26-year-old will depart Anfield after more than 20 years this summer, when his deal concludes on June 30, 2025. He will do so after 352 appearances, 23 goals and eight major honours to date.
Alexander-Arnold sat down with Liverpoolfc.com at the AXA Training Centre to outline his reasoning for his decision. Read on for a full transcript.
Trent, you have made the decision to leave Liverpool FC at the end of your current contract. Can you explain that decision to our supporters?
I think first and foremost, I want to say it’s not an easy decision and there’s a lot of thought and feeling that has gone into it. I’ve been here 20 years now, loved every single minute of it, achieved all my dreams, achieved everything I’ve ever wanted to here. Giving everything day in, day out for 20 years, I’ve got to a point now where I feel like I need a change, a new challenge for me as a player and as a person. And I think now is the right time for me to do that.
A lot of people have obviously been waiting to hear from you and hear what your decision would be. In terms of the timing of you making this announcement, why is now the right time to announce your decision?
Obviously there’s been a lot of noise around what the decision was going to be and how that was going to look. I know a lot of people will say I should have said sooner, a lot of people will say maybe I waited for the right time. But I felt personally the focus should always be on the pitch, should always be about the football. When we were in a title race and trying to push for trophies, it’s about making the right decision for the team and trying not to distract the team and take away from what we’re doing on the pitch. For me, it was always to do it after the season was kind of done; not so much the final game but when there was nothing else really to play for. Now that we’ve won the league and we’ve been able to celebrate it and celebrate such an amazing achievement, I felt like now is the right time to get it off my chest and tell the fans the truth, and now is that time.
You obviously did talk with Liverpool about the potential of a new contract here. Was staying at Liverpool ever a possibility given the success of this season and the good relationship you’ve got with Arne Slot?
One hundred per cent, a massive possibility. I’ve got full confidence in the manager and the staff and the club going forward. It’s not about me thinking we’re not going to fight for titles or fight for trophies season in, season out because I knew from the first few moments with the manager that he was a winner, he was aiming to go and win things. And you’ve seen that this season with the way that we’ve played. So it was never about not having confidence in that, it just boiled down to what I felt I needed, and that is a change. That’s something I need to do on my personal journey as a person, but also as a player and a professional, to go and challenge myself elsewhere. I feel like a challenge in a different environment is something I need to do as a player.
Can you understand why supporters will be disappointed to hear that?
Yes, 100 per cent. I’ve been a fan of this club my whole life, it has given me the opportunity to go and do everything I’ve done, to achieve everything. So, I understand that. Growing up, seeing players leave that I’ve loved watching and have helped the team win trophies, you feel a connection to the players that you watch, especially when they bring success to the club as well. So, I completely understand the feelings that go with that and I’ve felt it myself so I completely understand that the news will disappoint a lot of people, will anger people, it will make them upset. Obviously that went into the decision as well – it’s something you don’t want to do, you don’t want to ever have these moments where you feel like you’re letting a lot of people down, you’re disappointing a lot of people. But I’ve had to make a decision for me, it’s as simple as that. It’s a difficult one, it’s one that has played on my mind for a long time but being able now to get it off my chest will feel like a weight is lifted. And I think it’s important for the fans to know where I stand and know what the truth is.
The time will come for you to properly reflect on your time and achievements at Liverpool, going way back to the Academy, right through to the first team, Champions League winner, Premier League winner. How would you describe your feelings towards this place as you start to think about life away from here?
Just the word that springs to mind is love, if I’m honest. I fell in love with the club from a very, very young age and that’s something that has grown and grown day in, day out. It has given me the opportunities to go and achieve everything I’ve ever wanted, it has given me the opportunities to achieve everything beyond my wildest dreams. I can never repay enough of what’s been given to me and I don’t take it for granted at all. But, like I said, at the end of the day I did have to make a decision and it is one that has been very difficult. I just hope that people will be able to see and understand that I’ve given everything to the club, I’ve given everything every single day for 20 years now. I’ve sacrificed everything, I’ve done everything I’ve ever needed to do to try to help the team win games. And no matter what, that will never change. I’ll forever be a fan of the club, there’ll be no change in that. I’ll always be watching the games, I’ll be supporting from a distance. But in terms of a player at the club I think now is the right time for me to move on and challenge myself elsewhere.
We saw you right in the mix of the celebrations after we clinched the Premier League against Tottenham. How significant does that achievement feel to you?
For me it’s right at the top. You get a few of those moments in your life, I believe. Those special feelings that football can give you. It’s been an aim and a target for us over the last six, seven years I guess. Especially winning the title without fans [in 2019-20] – that was one that motivated us a lot more, to win it with the fans there. To win it at home at Anfield was a dream of mine. You dream of that growing up. Winning a Premier League title for Liverpool at Anfield is something that I’ve pictured over and over in my head. But to achieve that against Tottenham was right up there for me, it was a feeling that I’ll never forget. I’ll be able to cherish it forever.
Now that you have made this announcement, what are you hoping for in the last few weeks of your Liverpool career?
I’m just hoping that we’re able to carry on winning games, the noise doesn’t take away from the fact of what we’ve achieved this season. It has been an amazing season, it has been amazing to be part of it and I just hope that everyone is able to maybe not dwell on this news for too long and be able to celebrate what the rest of the lads have done. Don’t let this cast a dark cloud over the season and let everyone celebrate what we’ve achieved as a club. And to enjoy the home and away games, the guards of honour, the celebrations, everything that comes with it. I’m hoping we’re able to celebrate it together. I know the news will take a bit of time to set in and people won’t be happy and they’ll be disappointed. At the end of the day, you can be angry and hurt at me but I just hope that the lads, the rest of the team, the staff, everyone else is able to feel how good a season this has been and able to feel the love and support from the fans as they have done all season.
In terms of the fans, is there something you’d say to Liverpool supporters?
There’s a lot I would like to say. The main thing is a massive thank you. You guys have been there from the start with me, you guys have supported me, been there. I’ve felt the support, the love, everything that you guys have done has never been unnoticed by me, I’ve loved every single minute of it. I hope they have felt that has been reciprocated and that I’ve given everything I could to the club. I’ve done things I never thought I’d be able to do, and to do them with the fans and supporters of this club has been something I’ll never forget. I’ve got many, many memories that will live with me forever. There’s no doubt about it, I’ll be back – I’d love one day to be able to bring my kids to Anfield and show them that that’s where I’ve played and show them the videos and highlights of what we were able to achieve together. So just a huge thank you for that, thank you for everything you’ve ever done for me. Thank you for the support, thank you for the love that I’ve always felt, thank you for always having my back. I will always love the club, I will always love the people of the club, I will always love the fans and the supporters. Even though I’m leaving as player, as a fan I’ll always be a Liverpool fan.
