TRENT ALEXANDER- ARNOLD couldn't resist. After thumping home Liverpool's fourth goal in the Premier League romp at West Ham United on Sunday, the right-back celebrated with teammates before making a "talking" gesture with his hand.
Given just hours earlier stories in the Spanish media that he was on the verge of agreeing a move to Real Madrid when his contract expires in the summer, the inference was, to many, pretty clear.
But the clock hadn't even ticked over to the New Year when it emerged on Tuesday evening the European Super League advocates had already made the first official play in their long-standing attempt to lure Alexander-Arnold to the Bernabeu, with Liverpool flatly refusing their approach to sign the player this month.
This, then, is the beginning of the end of a contract saga in which Liverpool, for a number of reasons, have allowed control to slip out of their grasp into that of Alexander-Arnold and provide an opportunity for Real to follow their patented transfer playbook.
There's no doubt the difficult situation is primarily of the Reds' own making, different to the contract negotiations of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk.
Both of those players are in their 30s and much nearer the end of their careers than the start, and will need to be treated accordingly.
That discussions are taking time is understandable.
Alexander-Arnold, though, is 26 and now approaching his prime.
He has spent the last 18 months as vice-captain at his boyhood club and has long spoken of his desire to one day assume the armband on a permanent basis.
Yes, there was the tumult behind the scenes sparked by the constant churn in the sporting director role since Michael Edwards first departed in the summer of 2022, and then the major upheaval that followed the decision of Jurgen Klopp to quit as manager at the end of last season.
But some things shouldn't be allowed to fall through the cracks.
Did Liverpool just assume Alexander-Arnold would happily sign on the dotted line given his love for the club?
It's a mistake the Reds made almost two decades earlier with Steven Gerrard, when only a last minute change of heart prevented him from switching to Chelsea.
For his part, Alexander-Arnold has vowed to maintain a dignified silence while his future remains unresolved. But is there a point where that silence becomes, well, undignified?
With Real Madrid having finally shown their hand and Liverpool wanting the player to stay with negotiations over a new deal ongoing, the two options are now out in the open.
The only question that remains is what Alexander-Arnold prefers.
Liverpool have received no inclination from the defender of a desire to leave, suggesting his mind is not yet made up although Reds legend Jamie Carragher won't be alone in suspecting it was Alexander-Arnold's camp who urged Real Madrid to make their approach this week.
That said, surely even t...
Given just hours earlier stories in the Spanish media that he was on the verge of agreeing a move to Real Madrid when his contract expires in the summer, the inference was, to many, pretty clear.
But the clock hadn't even ticked over to the New Year when it emerged on Tuesday evening the European Super League advocates had already made the first official play in their long-standing attempt to lure Alexander-Arnold to the Bernabeu, with Liverpool flatly refusing their approach to sign the player this month.
This, then, is the beginning of the end of a contract saga in which Liverpool, for a number of reasons, have allowed control to slip out of their grasp into that of Alexander-Arnold and provide an opportunity for Real to follow their patented transfer playbook.
There's no doubt the difficult situation is primarily of the Reds' own making, different to the contract negotiations of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk.
Both of those players are in their 30s and much nearer the end of their careers than the start, and will need to be treated accordingly.
That discussions are taking time is understandable.
Alexander-Arnold, though, is 26 and now approaching his prime.
He has spent the last 18 months as vice-captain at his boyhood club and has long spoken of his desire to one day assume the armband on a permanent basis.
Yes, there was the tumult behind the scenes sparked by the constant churn in the sporting director role since Michael Edwards first departed in the summer of 2022, and then the major upheaval that followed the decision of Jurgen Klopp to quit as manager at the end of last season.
But some things shouldn't be allowed to fall through the cracks.
Did Liverpool just assume Alexander-Arnold would happily sign on the dotted line given his love for the club?
It's a mistake the Reds made almost two decades earlier with Steven Gerrard, when only a last minute change of heart prevented him from switching to Chelsea.
For his part, Alexander-Arnold has vowed to maintain a dignified silence while his future remains unresolved. But is there a point where that silence becomes, well, undignified?
With Real Madrid having finally shown their hand and Liverpool wanting the player to stay with negotiations over a new deal ongoing, the two options are now out in the open.
The only question that remains is what Alexander-Arnold prefers.
Liverpool have received no inclination from the defender of a desire to leave, suggesting his mind is not yet made up although Reds legend Jamie Carragher won't be alone in suspecting it was Alexander-Arnold's camp who urged Real Madrid to make their approach this week.
That said, surely even t...
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Daily Post (Digital) - 1 Issue, January 02, 2025