Report: How Trent Alexander-Arnold inadvertently helped pay for Liverpool to sign Alexander Isak this summer
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Liverpool had a summer transfer window to remember, as they spent and sold in almost equal measure.
The Reds went bigger than they ever have in the market, shelling out an unprecedented figure of over £400m.
Part of the reason Liverpool were able to spend so much was because of their smart selling.
All in all, the Reds let five players from the Liverpool academy go, earning around £81m in pure profit from the sales of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Caoimhin Kelleher, Nat Phillips, Tyler Morton and Jarell Quansah.
That figure should have been much more, unfortunately, and the manner and fee associated with Alexander-Arnold’s exit will cause anger at Anfield for a long time to come.
But according to new data calculated by experts, the right-back may have actually played a bigger, unseen role in Liverpool’s summer spree.
Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images
Part of the reason Liverpool fans were so angry with Alexander-Arnold this summer is because he was a potentially £100m player leaving for virtually nothing.
The Reds may have secured around £10m from selling him to Real Madrid just before the end of his contract, but it should have been so much more.
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Those who disagreed with the ferocity at which Liverpool supporters reacted to Alexander-Arnold argued that the 26-year-old had saved the club millions of pounds throughout his time in the first team.
And as per a report from The Athletic, experts have now put a figure on that concept.
In reporting some new plans to revamp the Liverpool academy, they claim that a big part of FSG’s plan for the youth teams is to save on transfer fees by developing players for the first team.
And it’s reported that sports intelligence advisory business Twenty First Group have come to the conclusion that Alexander-Arnold saved Liverpool around £145m since his promotion to the senior squad in 2016.
With Liverpool spending £125m on Alexander Isak this summer, the unpopular former right-back may have actually helped pay for the Reds’ biggest ever signing.
While this is an interesting nugget of information on Alexander-Arnold, the bulk of The Athletic’s article today covers the big news that the Liverpool owners are going all in on the academy.
FSG are reportedly set to sink £20m into revamping the academy building, adding various new aspects to transform it.
An indoor dome will reportedly be added, with the interior of the building itself also said to be awaiting an upgrade.
Medical and sports science areas will be ‘enhanced’, while a new 500-strong stand will be added to the outdoor pitch.
This will look very different from the academy Alexander-Arnold came through at Liverpool, but the Reds will hope to develop players who can go on to have a similar impact in the first team.