Arne Slot reveals surprise Liverpool benefit from Trent Alexander-Arnold transfer saga

The Dutch coach believes the uncertainty surrounding Alexander-Arnold’s future, with Real Madrid already making an approach, has ensured the squad has not become complacent after topping the Premier League and Champions League

Arne Slot has claimed that the saga about Trent Alexander-Arnold’s future is helpful to him as it prevents his Liverpool players from being overloaded with praise that could make them complacent.

Real Madrid made an initial approach for the right-back this week, which Liverpool rebuffed before the Champions League holders could even make a bid.

But Alexander-Arnold, along with Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, is out of contract in the summer and could leave Anfield on a free transfer. The 26-year-old has been able to discuss a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs since New Year’s Day and Real have made no secret of their interest in him.

Liverpool have maintained that Alexander-Arnold is not for sale this month, though in public Slot only guaranteed that the vice-captain will still be at the club to appear in Sunday’s game against Manchester United.

But Slot has argued the situation is not destabilising to him and can actually be beneficial as Liverpool, who have won 23 of their 27 games in his reign, deal with their superb start.

Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold and manager Arne Slot in Leipzig, Germany (PA Wire)

“Maybe it's even helpful, now you ask me,” he said. “Because if it is only about how great we are doing then maybe every week I have to have a meeting telling the players it is not perfect yet and we have to do better and now maybe it is also about different things [in the press] and not everyone is telling them how great they are, so sometimes that can help as well. But for me, it doesn't distract at all.”

Slot believes Alexander-Arnold is showing full commitment to the club but underlined that football is a short-term business.

“I am convinced that he is playing for us on Sunday and I think it is so difficult in football to talk about what happens in a month or in six months,” he explained. “You can also ask me the question, ‘Are you convinced that Virgil and Mo are here next season?’ So in football, [it is] such a difficult question to answer because there is hardly any long term in football, especially not for a manager, so your only focus is on the short term.”

Slot has guided Liverpool to the top of the Premier League and Champions League (AP)

Slot is not worried about a backlash from Liverpool supporters on Sunday. The club risk losing Alexander-Arnold, a player who might otherwise be valued at up to £100m, without getting a fee in return but Slot expects them to back the Merseysider.

He added: “I don’t think I need to tell our fans how to react because they have always been so supportive and have been supporting their team and their players for so, so many years. So I don’t think they need me to tell them how to react and I fully trust them that they will react in the right manner because we've been constantly together in the half-year that I have been here. And I think that is something that stands out here, that, for so many years, the team and the fans have been together.”