Just weeks after saying farewell to Liverpool, Trent Alexander-Arnold was unveiled by Real Madrid speaking fluent Spanish and holding a white No. 12 shirt. There was no visible hesitation. At the podium, with reporters and club president Florentino Pérez watching on, he looked ready to leave Anfield behind and step into a new era at the Bernabéu.

Two years on, that promise has not been realised. The player once regarded as the world’s best right back has found life in Madrid far harder than expected, and his progress has stalled badly.

Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp summed up Alexander-Arnold’s standing in 2024 when he said: “He is one of these stories that not a lot of clubs can write, but he is someone people will talk about in 20, 30 and 40 years,”

During Klopp’s nine years in charge, Liverpool won eight trophies with Alexander-Arnold in the side, including the 2018–19 Champions League and the 2019–20 Premier League. His right foot became central to that success, through free kicks and long passes that gave Liverpool a unique edge. Even when his defensive limitations were discussed, his creativity usually offset them.

He was also made vice-captain, which seemed to place him on a clear path to the Liverpool armband. A boyhood player who joined at the age of six, he had every reason to become the club’s next leader. Yet the lure of Real Madrid proved stronger, and the debate around his departure grew louder as the 2024–25 season went on and he still had not signed a new deal.

Liverpool were winning the league under Arne Slot, but Alexander-Arnold’s future dominated the conversation. After 20 years and 354 appearances, he left for a different challenge, and the consequences have been severe.

Real Madrid hurried to bring him in before the 2025 Club World Cup, but injury denied him a semifinal appearance against Paris Saint-Germain. That turned out to be an early warning. He made only five appearances in 2025–26 before a hamstring injury in September, then a muscle tear in December, disrupted his season. Real Madrid also lost their La Liga lead, lost the Spanish Super Cup final, dismissed Alonso and exited the Copa del Rey.

By the end of the campaign, Madrid were trophyless and Alexander-Arnold had managed 30 appearances and five assists.

His troubles continued when Thomas Tuchel left him out of England’s 2026 World Cup squad. England finished third without him.

Now, in 2026/27, Alexander-Arnold is still struggling to establish himself. Preseason suggested a reset, especially with Dani Carvajal no longer blocking his route, but José Mourinho has preferred Denzel Dumfries. In Real Madrid’s 11 games this season, Alexander-Arnold has been an unused substitute five times.

Mourinho has also turned to Federico Valverde at right back, a choice that underlines the lack of trust in the Englishman. After the 4–1 win over Sevilla, Mourinho said: “It’s not easy for a coach to leave two quality right backs on the bench, but I thought it would be very useful to have a right back with legs and quality to play behind Endrick.”

The issue is that the explanation fits Dumfries more than Alexander-Arnold. For all the scrutiny he has faced, his attacking quality has never been in doubt. Yet at Real Madrid, that quality is still not enough to secure his place.

Real Madrid are reportedly seeking payment from the six Premier League clubs that signed up to the abandoned European Super League project in 2021.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur all withdrew publicly within three days of the original announcement. Their exit triggered a major fan backlash, and they were soon followed by Atlético Madrid, AC Milan and Inter Milan as the proposal unraveled.

Juventus remained involved until June 2023, while Barcelona did not give up its position until February of this year. Real Madrid then reached what was described as “an agreement of principles for the wellbeing of European club football” with UEFA, which appeared to close the door on the episode. However, a new report from The Athletic says Madrid “want” the six Premier League clubs to cover part of the cost of setting up the scheme, on the basis that their rapid withdrawals helped bring it to an end.

The total is said to be as high as €80 million ($89.9 million). If that figure is accurate, each of the 12 founding clubs would be responsible for about $7.5 million. Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus, the three longest hold-outs in the plan, are understood to have been sharing the burden so far.

During the collapse of the project, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez made his position plain as the rest of the clubs headed for the exits. “I’m not going to take my time to explain what a binding contract is here,” he snapped. “But the fact is, the clubs can’t leave.”

Manchester United have made a fresh attempt to keep JJ Gabriel at the club, offering the teenager an official scholarship contract in a bid to prevent a free departure.

The move matters because, under Premier League youth rules, Gabriel could have left in January without a fee had United not acted. The Guardian reports that the club have now returned with a scholarship offer for next season, which means any Premier League side interested in him would have to negotiate a fee directly with United.

If no agreement is reached, the Professional Football Compensation Committee could decide the eventual package, in a process comparable to Rio Ngumoha’s move from Chelsea to Liverpool.

United would hope for more than just compensation in that scenario. Per The Guardian, the club would be aiming for a fee “in excess” of £3 million ($4 million), plus 20% of Gabriel’s next transfer fee. That would be preferable to seeing him depart for another club in Europe and leaving United with only training compensation.

Interest in Gabriel has intensified since he became available. Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are among the clubs linked, but The Guardian says the Spanish side are the “favorites” to sign him.

That would fit the pattern of a young player seeking a bigger platform, though United are still trying to keep him. The problem is that a switch away from Old Trafford now appears “unlikely” to be avoided.

Should Gabriel move to a European club, only FIFA training compensation would be due, generally around £200,000-300,000 ($265,000-397,000).

His frustration at limited first-team opportunities has been central to the situation, yet a move elsewhere would not guarantee more game time. The draft also points to examples involving Endrick, Franco Mastantuono and Yan Diomande, all of whom have found breaking into a strong side far from straightforward.