Trent Alexander-Arnold transfer blame dished out amid Real Madrid struggles
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Liverpool IconLiverpool FC NewsFeaturesTrent Alexander-ArnoldTrent Alexander-Arnold has endured a nightmare start to life at Real Madrid following his Liverpool exit, and Spanish media reports reveal internal blame over the signing decisionTrent Alexander-Arnold has been sent another brutal Real Madrid verdict(Image: (Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/Getty Images))Trent Alexander-Arnold finds himself at the heart of a blame game at Real Madrid following his most recent disappointment. The ex-Liverpool player has had a torrid beginning at his new club, predominantly because of injury issues, which are now affecting his on-pitch displays.The Spanish press highlighted the 27 year old's involvement in Celta Vigo's late leveller last Friday, despite Real ultimately securing victory in the La Liga fixture.
A more detailed piece from Sport has subsequently surfaced, revealing that Real Madrid's hierarchy are attempting to disassociate themselves from the Alexander-Arnold acquisition.The report also suggests that internal briefings at Real Madrid indicate club president Florentino Perez personally mandated the transfer, with his arrival being "a direct decision by the board without consulting the manager".READ MORE: Liverpool told to sign Mohamed Salah replacement from relegation-threatened teamREAD MORE: Nnamdi Collins response to 'surprising' Liverpool transfer links speaks volumesReal's current right-back situation has been characterized as "a serious problem" given Dani Carvajal's injury and Federico Valverde's reluctance to operate in that position. The article further notes that the Alexander-Arnold transfer was "exactly what Florentino likes" as he arrived from an established Premier League side without a transfer fee.Nevertheless, his recruitment wasn't what Real required, as demonstrated by his performances in Madrid, particularly when compared to Alvaro Carreras and Dean Huijsen, who are described as "managerial signings" rather than "presidential ones".Nevertheless, Alexander-Arnold will be keen to move past a difficult period as Real pursue glory in La Liga and the Champions League.A silver lining for Alexander-Arnold has been his consistent game time since recovering from injury in early February.
He has featured from the start in Real's previous three fixtures across all competitions and will be aiming to extend that run this week against some old adversaries.On Wednesday evening, Manchester City travels to the Bernabeu for the opening leg of a compelling last-16 encounter. Liverpool are also positioned on that half of the draw and could therefore face Real once more, having already defeated them in the league.However, Arne Slot's team must first overcome Galatasaray, whom they previously encountered earlier in the tournament but were beaten by, with the opening leg commencing in just a few hours in Turkiye.Tottenham's visit to Atletico Madrid and Newcastle United welcoming Barcelona are also on tonight's schedule, alongside Bayern and Atalanta's meeting in Bergamo.Tomorrow's fixtures are undoubtedly headlined by Pep Guardiola's side travelling to the Spanish capital, though world champions Chelsea against holders Paris Saint-Germain represents another standout contest.