Real Madrid certainly have one of Europe’s best talents on their hands next season.

Reds fans have been on cloud nine this season after watching their team cruise quite comfortably to the Premier League title in Arne Slot’s first season.

The only real dampener was Liverpool losing Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid following the expiry of his contract.

Despite Madrid paying Liverpool £10m in compensation, leaving in the way he did upset many fans, especially after spending 20 years at his boyhood club.

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Boos could be heard ringing around Anfield when he came on as a substitute for the first time since he announced his departure, something Michael Owen has responded to.

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Photo by Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images

Michael Owen is one of the players to go from Liverpool to Real Madrid, with the striker being the second to do so after Steve McManaman.

Not the most well-liked of the red half of Merseyside, mainly due to joining Manchester United in the twilight of his career, Owen defended Alexander-Arnold’s move on talkSPORT and admitted that he was “disappointed” in the fans.

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“I was so disappointed when he got the reaction he did.

Of course, people are going to feel let down, a bit sore or disappointed, but this will never change,” Owen said.

“When it’s your job, you see it very differently.

There’s no point me trying to stick up for him in any way as a fan wears that badge, they are proud of their badge and that’s never going to change.

“But in what other job do you get criticised for trying to better yourself for just trying to be as good as you can in the shortest career of them all.”

Having only known Liverpool, moving to Madrid is a bold and risky move for the right-back, with the 26-year-old hoping he has a better time than Owen did.

However, Alexander-Arnold has a £1bn release clause in his six-year contract, meaning that it would be very hard to escape the Spanish capital if things turn sour.

Without a shadow of a doubt, Alexander-Arnold is one of the most gifted players on the ball in the world, coming to life in the attacking areas.

Career StatsTrent Alexander-ArnoldAppearances 373Goals27 Assists96Stats from Transfermarkt and correct as of 05/06/2025

Under new manager Xabi Alonso, who is expected to play with wing-backs, the scouser should excel as his defensive responsibilities will have lessened, meaning he has free rein to go forward.

With his ability to pick out a pin-point cross or play the perfect ball to split the defence in half, Alexander-Arnold’s number of assists is only going to get greater, especially with Kylian Mbappe running onto his passes.

There will certainly be a lot of pressure on his shoulders, especially as Madrid fans are some of the least patient in the world, although he should do just fine if he lets his feet do the talking.


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