Liverpool manager Arne Slot has insisted that Trent Alexander-Arnold deserves to be part of the club’s Premier League title celebrations, even as he acknowledged concerns over the defender’s early-season training performances.
Alexander-Arnold, who recently confirmed he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, has been linked with a move to Real Madrid. His decision, however, has not been well received by all fans—he was jeered at Anfield during last week’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal and was left out of Monday’s 3-2 loss to Brighton.
Despite the mixed reception and recent omission from the squad, Slot maintains that the England international remains a key part of Liverpool’s title-winning campaign, which was sealed last month with four games to spare.
Speaking to reporters ahead of Sunday’s final home game against FA Cup champions Crystal Palace, where the Reds will lift the trophy, Slot addressed concerns that the celebrations could be clouded by fan backlash toward Alexander-Arnold.
“I haven’t made a final decision on how involved Trent will be on Sunday,” Slot said. “But regardless of recent events, he’s part of what we achieved this season. He deserves to celebrate with the team.”
Slot also admitted that Alexander-Arnold’s training standards earlier in the campaign fell short of expectations, but he stressed that the player’s overall contributions cannot be overlooked.
Liverpool will be crowned Premier League champions in front of their home fans following the Palace clash, marking the culmination of a dominant campaign under Slot’s leadership.
“I haven’t decided on that one yet, but I think this should be a day that everybody is going to enjoy,” Slot said.
“It’s been 35 years; everybody is waiting for this moment.”
Liverpool lifted the 2020 Premier League trophy behind closed doors due to COVID-19 restrictions.
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Slot, in his first season at Anfield, described the celebrations after Liverpool sealed the title against Tottenham as special.
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“I’m hoping that we can add a moment like this to it, and I think everybody that’s in this stadium deserves to be there — the fans, the staff, but also the players,” he said.
“One of my players is Trent, so he deserves to be there as well because he’s been part of an incredibly successful season and an incredibly successful few years at this club.”
‘Not Happy’
While Slot hopes Alexander-Arnold receives a warm farewell from the fans, the Dutchman was critical of the right-back’s efforts in training during his early weeks as Liverpool manager.
“He’s going to leave either way, so maybe it’s already a first gift I can give Xabi (Alonso, expected to be the new Real Madrid manager),” he said.
“But I wasn’t completely happy with every single minute he was on the training ground. So, in my opinion, at certain moments he could do a bit more, to say it mildly.
“I said to him, ‘You are a much better defender than everybody tells you, but unfortunately, you don’t show it all the time.’”
Slot told Alexander-Arnold, 26, that if he was focused, there were few players who could get past him because he is “fast, he’s agile, he has a great mentality”.
“It’s about showing it every single game because in this world we are judged not only on the 34 games we do well, we are mainly judged on the four games that we don’t do so well,” he added.
