Liverpool boss Arne Slot says it's time to 'draw a line under' the Trent Alexander-Arnold boos and 'focus on the fact we have won the league'
Arne Slot said Liverpool need to draw a line under the Trent Alexander-Arnold chatter and focus only on the fact they have won the league.
The vice-captain announced his decision to leave the Anfield club last week and was booed by a section of the fanbase when he was substituted on to the pitch in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal.
But Slot said: 'All the pundits talked about it, all the country talked about it, but now I think it is time to draw a line under it. Let's focus on the fact we have won the league.'
Slot has been partying in Ibiza the last few days with a number of the squad heading to Dubai for a team bonding session that featured boat trips and living the high life in a luxury hotel.
But though he was pictured with the likes of Wayne Lineker and Dean Gaffney in the DJ booth of Ocean Beach, the manager's mind has been drifting to next season and how to ensure Liverpool can back up their Premier League title triumph.
He said: 'A larger part of my mind is in next season. It's a normal situation that my thoughts if I'm on the couch tonight are more into next season than they would have been if the games were still important.
'That's even more of a challenge for the players on Monday (against Brighton).'
But though he may shuffle his pack for the trip to the Amex Stadium on Monday night, Slot insists no fringe players' futures will be decided based on their performances in these last two matches.
He added: 'It would not be fair on any player to judge my opinion on them in one or two games. My mind has been made up over 10-11 months.
'Some of the players who have not played a lot are not looking forward to another season of not playing a lot. We have to be prepared if we have to strengthen our squad. But it's difficult to strengthen – we won the league as we have so many great players.'
Asked specifically about Federico Chiesa, who has played just 41 league minutes, Slot said: 'In terms of the quality he has, he deserves more playing time but unfortunately for him he's in competition with Mo Salah.
'On the left, it's competition with Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz. Three players who have had a great season.
'He was a long time not as fit as the others. That doesn't help in the beginning. Then the others did so well there's no reason to change. Is he good enough to play for us? Yes he is. But I've always felt Lucho, Cody and Mo deserved the confidence I had in them.'
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