Xabi Alonso has told Trent Alexander-Arnold to enjoy his “nice” return to Liverpool as the Real Madrid defender prepares to face his boyhood club for the first time since his acrimonious summer departure.
Alexander-Arnold is likely to receive a hostile reception at Anfield after he angered Liverpool fans by leaving at the end of his contract last season. The England international would have exited on a free transfer but for Real paying an £8.5m fee to cancel his Liverpool contract early and include him in their squad for the Club World Cup.
The 27-year-old was part of a Real delegation that laid floral tributes to Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva outside Anfield on Monday night. The head coach and former Liverpool midfielder Alonso, the defender Dean Huijsen and Real’s director of institutional relations, Emilio Butragueño, were also present.
Alexander-Arnold laid his own floral tribute, with a message that read: “My mate Diogo, you are so missed but still so loved. Yours and André’s memories will always live on. I smile every time I think about you and will always remember the great times we shared. Miss you mate every day. Love Trent and family.”
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Alonso is guaranteed a warm reception from the Anfield crowd having graced Liverpool’s midfield between 2004 and 2009. He believes Alexander-Arnold should relish facing his boyhood team, if selected. “We haven’t spoken about that precisely [the reception that awaits Alexander-Arnold] but we have spoken about the team and the club,” the Real head coach said.
“He has to have his own feelings and enjoy it his own way. So I am not going to say how he needs to feel it. For sure his history is different from mine, he was born and bred in Liverpool. I remember him from a young age in the academy and then coming to the first team and winning the Champions League. So he needs to enjoy the moment because it is nice to be back and for him it is going to be nice.”
The former Liverpool defender’s move to Real has not gone to plan on the pitch having sustained a hamstring injury on his Champions League debut for the club against Marseille on September 16th. He has not played since and has been an unused substitute in Real’s last two games.
But Alonso said: “He is good. He didn’t play [against Valencia on Saturday] because of the context of the game but he is available for any number of minutes. Tomorrow he may play and after the injury he had we need his qualities; he has great qualities. He is in a new stage for him – sporting, physically and mentally. We need to give him what he needs because he is an exceptional player that we have in our squad.”
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The Liverpool head coach, Arne Slot, promised Alexander-Arnold a warm reception, but was unsure how the right-back would be received by the home crowd. Slot said: “I can only tell you what kind of reception he gets from me; I have great memories of the player and the human being.
“He was my vice-captain last season and I have memories of working with him which were only positive and have memories from watching him on television which were only positive as well – I can remember multiple great moments of his in a Liverpool shirt. He will get a warm welcome from me. Let’s first wait and see if he is on the pitch tomorrow. How the fans react I have no clue but he gets a warm welcome from me, that’s for sure.”
Slot later defended Florian Wirtz and insisted the £116m signing has produced “exactly what we expected” at this stage of his Liverpool career.
The playmaker was on the bench for the win against Aston Villa on Saturday and also omitted from Slot’s starting lineup against Manchester United, Chelsea and Everton having struggled to make an impact in the Premier League. Wirtz has started all three of Liverpool’s Champions League games, however, and could well return for the visit of Xabi Alonso’s side on Tuesday.
The 22-year-old registered two assists in the 5-1 rout of Eintracht Frankfurt two weeks ago but is yet to score a goal or provide an assist in the Premier League. Slot attributed that barren run to bad luck and said the Germany international will justify Liverpool’s then-record investment once he adapts to the intensity of English football.
“You can say he’s started one of the last four [two of the last four] but you can also say he’s started 10 already this season,” said the Liverpool head coach, who will again be without the injured Alexander Isak, Alisson and Jeremie Frimpong against Real.
“I’ve said this quite a lot, not as an excuse but just how it is; many times we have to play three games in seven days with only two days’ rest in between. For a player who comes from a different league, which is a very good league by the way, nine out of 10 people would agree the Premier League is a bit more intense in all the games. If you look at that then he already played a lot. He has had his impact in a lot of games but has been unlucky with the end product either by himself or his teammates.
“For me, he brought exactly what we expected, a player who created a lot for the team. He will have his goals but I don’t think it comes as a surprise to anyone that if you’re 22 or 23 and come to a different league that you might need some time to adjust to that intensity if you play every three days. Ryan Gravenberch was sitting here before and it took him a while to adjust to the intensity, maybe even longer than it is going to take Florian.”
Wirtz earned his move to Anfield, for an initial £100m plus £16m in add-ons, having shone for Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen. Together they helped end Bayern Munich’s run of 11 consecutive Bundesliga titles in 2023-24 and Alonso credited Wirtz with his own rise to becoming Real coach. The former Liverpool midfielder echoed Slot’s belief that it is only a matter of time before the forward makes his mark at Anfield.
Alonso said: “I have no doubts. It is just a matter of time. It is a big change for him to come to Liverpool after so many years in Germany, he’s been there all his life. He is a really special player. He has quality and personality and he’s competitive. It has happened with great players in the Premier League before and I’ve no doubts with Flo. He is very special and probably one of the reasons I’m here now so I’m very grateful to Flo. Hopefully not tomorrow but I’ve no doubt he will show his quality and class.”
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