Jurgen Klopp criticises Liverpool fans for booing Trent Alexander-Arnold
The German, who is beloved on Merseyside after winning the Champions League, Premier League, FA and League Cups in a nine-year spell which ended last summer, said he switched off the television when he heard the jeers.
Unlike his successor Arne Slot, who said it was not his place to tell supporters how to react, Klopp did not hold back in his contempt for their behaviour.
'I don't want to tell anyone what they should think, I don't want to say what you have to think but I can tell you what you think is wrong. I am an old man and I don't waste time with hiding my opinion,' said Klopp, who was guest of honour at the LFC Foundation – of which he is an ambassador – Gala Ball.
'I watched the game when he came on and I heard the booing. I'm old so it my be my hearing so I turned up the volume and said 'That's booing'.
'I needed another 10 seconds to realise and then I switched the telly off. I honestly could not have been more disappointed in this moment. This is not us, 100 per cent.
'I don't tell you you should not be disappointed or angry, I tell you 'Don't forget'. This club does not forget. We are famous for not forgetting.
'We don't forget anything: we don't forget the good thing and we don't forget the bad thing. But we ignore the bad things and remember the good things.
'You don't have to be happy he is going but don't forget what he did for this club because I can't forget it.'
Klopp listed a whole number of occasions in which Alexander-Arnold had delivered for the club and stressed without his contribution they would not have had the success they did.
The England international has decided to bring an end his 20-year association with the club when his current deal expires in the summer and is expected to sign for Real Madrid.
After 20 years at Liverpool Football Club, now is the time for me to confirm that I will be leaving at the end of the season.
This is easily the hardest decision I've ever made in my life.
I know many of you have wondered why or been frustrated that I haven't spoken about this… pic.twitter.com/emAw5RvXq0
— Trent Alexander-Arnold (@TrentAA) May 5, 2025
Klopp said that he was well within his rights to do that and if anyone had the right to be angry it was owners Fenway Sports Group as it was their multi-million asset who was leaving on a free transfer.
'I was there every day – if he wouldn't have given everything, I would tell you now but every day he gave absolutely everything for this club and now, after 20 years, he has decided he wants to go somewhere else,' added the German, who said he had contemplated attending Sunday's final match of the season in an Alexander-Arnold shirt but did not want to detract from the Premier League trophy presentation.
'If someone should be angry it should be the owners – but they are not. 'Why didn't he sign a new contract?'. I hear this from fans, this money discussion: 'He goes without a transfer fee'.
'They (the owners) have to be angry. Not us but it is not about that. He gave absolutely everything and wears the Liverpool badge in the skin.
'This boy, 18 years old, scored a free-kick in Hoffenheim where if he doesn't score that we don't qualify for the Champions League.
'Against Barcelona he did the most cheeky thing in the world and set up the goal for 4-0, a result and a game which will not happen again.
'But now he plays next year for another club and we decide how we deal with that.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
19 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
'I received envelope from ex-Man Utd player – it was stuffed full of £50 notes'
A striker who enjoyed a successful career in the Premier League with both Manchester United and Everton has been praised for his generosity in a heart-warming anecdote Louis Saha displayed remarkable kindness by gifting a physio a hefty envelope filled with £50 notes as a thank you for helping him through his injury woes. The French striker initially made waves in the Premier League with Fulham, before he went on to join Manchester United in 2004. During his time at United, he clinched two Premier League titles, the Champions League, and a League Cup under Sir Alex Ferguson 's stewardship, bagging 42 goals across 124 matches over four years. Injuries, however, saw Saha fall out of favour, prompting his move from Old Trafford to Everton in 2008. Despite ongoing fitness battles, he still managed to score a commendable 35 goals in 115 games for the Toffees from 2008 to 2012. Saha's relationship with Everton's medical staff was notably positive, especially with ex-club physio Mick Rathbone. Rathbone, once dubbed the 'best signing ever' by David Moyes, recounted a touching story about Saha's generous act after signing a new contract deal at Goodison Park in 2010. "We were excited about working with Louis despite his injury-prone reputation," the former Preston medic wrote in his book, The Smell of Football. "In his first season at the club, we were extremely careful with him, in terms of not pushing him too hard. "We quickly gained his trust because he intimated that at all his previous clubs, he felt this had not necessarily been the case. By his second season we had developed a relationship that allowed us to push him harder. "In those two seasons, Louis played nearly 70 games and scored more than 20 goals for Everton, despite being injured and out for six weeks when he first came to us from Manchester United." Rathbone added: "When Louis signed his new contract in February 2010, Bill Ellaby, the player liaison officer, handed me an envelope. He explained it was a thank you from Louis. I was touched he had taken the trouble to thank me in writing. I opened the envelope thinking, 'F*** me, this is a thick letter.'". "But it wasn't a letter; it was an envelope stuffed with £50 notes. That is the type of gratitude I prefer. After all, let's face it, talk is cheap. Apparently, he rewarded every member of the medical staff in the same way. I think he respected us for the care and time we gave him. It was a magnificent gesture from a great guy." Saha may no longer be on the football pitch, but he's certainly not short of cash these days, with a net worth that dwarfs even that of Cristiano Ronaldo, his ex-teammate at United. Since retiring in 2013 at 35, the former France international has dived into the business world with impressive results. His enterprise 'AxisStars', co-founded with Kate Hamer, is now said to be valued at an eye-watering £4.3billion. The firm seeks to forge links between 'professional athletes and entertainers, their peers and trusted partners'. The business empire of Saha towers over Ronaldo's hefty £600m fortune, being more than seven times larger. Saha, alongside former marketer Hamer and tech guru Patrice Arnera, has seen his venture flourish. With over 550 ex-sports stars linked to the company, Saha admits that his enterprise, AxisStars, has eclipsed his achievements on the pitch. "I still get asked for advice by different people on a daily basis," he told The Guardian. "For instance, my agent called me to say he had a talented French footballer who he wants to bring to England, and asked me for advice on how to create a tailor-made training programme. I put him in touch with people I used to work with. "This kind of player could join Axis as he can then search for a personal coach in his region. It is a hard process but it's so rewarding, because if I can help 100,000 people, it's the best thing I've ever done." Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Telegraph
28 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Watch: Trent Alexander-Arnold wows at Real Madrid unveiling by speaking fluent Spanish
The era of Alexander-Arnold the Liverpool legend is officially over and that of Trent the Galactico has begun at Real Madrid. The presentation of the right-back's No 12 'Trent' jersey at his formal Bernabeu unveiling completed the journey from the Anfield academy to the heights of those footballers considered so famous that they are referenced by Christian name, the request symbolic of a new brand and a fresh start. 'It is quite an easy explanation,' said the 26-year-old. 'I have always found when I travel to Europe the name confuses a lot of people with it being three names, double-barrelled. People call me Arnold, Alexander, Alex and Trent. I just thought let's make it simple with Trent on my back. That's my name so that's what I guess people will call me.' That said, those watching the England player's opening address could have been forgiven for thinking adopting the title Don Juan might have been as appropriate. If Alexander-Arnold's transfer was considered the consequence of a prolonged Bernabeu seduction, this time the charm offensive was from the £10 million recruit as the ex-Kop idol introduced himself in fluent, pitch perfect Spanish. 🗣️🇪🇸 Señor Alexander-Arnold #WelcomeTrent — Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) June 12, 2025 'Thank you for this opportunity. It does not happen every day. It is a dream come true and I am happy and proud to be here. I want to show Real Madrid fans how I play. I am going to give my all for the team,' Alexander-Arnold said in the native tongue of the Madridistas. 'Wow. Impressive. He has clearly had this on his mind for a couple of years,' swooned the translators from Real Madrid TV. 'A few months,' Alexander-Arnold later clarified, no doubt aware that cynics will presume this was an inauguration speech long in its preparation. Given he is such a quick learner, those advertising foreign language crash courses have found a new poster boy. Tougher assignments await the England man in La Liga, but as first impressions go this could not have been better choreographed, even if those left behind at Anfield tuning in may have been watching from behind the sofa, struggling to readjust to such an unfamiliar sight. Alexander-Arnold proved adept at identifying potential hand grenades within questions, careful to be respectful of all that he has left behind while deferential to the status and history of the club he has joined. Asked to compare Real Madrid and Liverpool, he suggested the biggest difference might be the weather. 'I'm fortunate to have played for the biggest club in England and now I am at the biggest club in Spain. There are a lot of similarities,' he said. 'You are expected to win. You are expected to perform week in and week out. That does not change. We are expected to win trophies. That is a demand. We have to deliver. 'It was never a question of where [to go], it was whether or not to go. I have known for a long time that if I did leave Liverpool it would only be for Real Madrid. It was not an easy decision because of how long I have been there for, but eventually you have to make a decision and in my mind it was the right one.' When Alexander-Arnold was encouraged to say he had dreamed of being a Real player even when training on the pitch as a Liverpool teenager in the Champions League, he politely declined the invitation. 'At that time, 10 or so years ago, I was not thinking about being here today,' he said, while the references to his Kop sending-off rightly focused on the day of the trophy presentation and the well-wishers of the club's hierarchy, as well as players, staff and the majority of supporters. Ironically, the formalities began like a tribute to Liverpool as an assortment of clips showcased Alexander-Arnold's many spectacular assists and goals under Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot. Whatever Real paid to sign the right-back a month early, Liverpool might have grounds to charge more in syndication rights given how many of the commentaries were courtesy of the Premier League's champions own media channel. The Anfield connection continued with references to Real's new manager, Xabi Alonso, being one of Alexander-Arnold's boyhood idols. 'He inspired me because of the way he passed the ball. I told him that,' said the defender of the former Liverpool midfielder. Another topic he seemed enthusiastic to address was the notion that England team-mate Jude Bellingham has acted as a super-agent on Real's behalf, the friendship between the pair vastly over-exaggerated as influential in the move. 'A lot of people think he played a large part in me coming here, but the club speaks for itself,' Alexander-Arnold said. 'We spoke a lot about Liverpool and Madrid as players and friends. You want to know what it's like, of course.' Of all the questions, one stood out as the wolf in sheep's clothing, a seemingly innocuous request to sum up the qualities of Real's local hero Dani Carvajal, whose position Alexander-Arnold wants to make his own. 'He is a fantastic player and I have nothing but respect,' he said, aware there is no bigger legend than the home-grown hero. Alexander-Arnold was that once. Now 'Trent' has accepted the challenge of matching the standards of one of the VIP guests listening to his every word, Roberto Carlos, alongside the current crop of superstars. 'I'm very lucky and proud to be here,' Alexander-Arnold said. 'These are the kinds of players I want to play with. I have admired them. I have played against them, so I know how good they are. To be a part of the team and to be playing with them, rather than against them, will be good.'
BBC News
31 minutes ago
- BBC News
'Creativity, movement and sharp finishing' - what will Cunha bring?
New Manchester United signing Matheus Cunha has 27 goals in 65 Premier League appearances over the past two seasons and is regarded at Old Trafford as someone who can make an instant impact, while at the same time adding experience to the team."United are lucky they still have their historic appeal and reputation as a club, so players of the Brazilian's quality and potential want to move there," former England midfielder Fara Williams told BBC Sport."If he does, there is no doubt he improves the squad." Creativity, movement and sharp finishing - Cunha's flair and drive have often made the difference in tight has been the heartbeat of Wolves' attacking threat, scoring crucial goals, linking up play and unpicking defences with moments of individual addition, in 2024-25 he equalled the record for the most goals scored by a Brazilian player in a Premier League season, alongside Roberto Firmino (2017-18) and Gabriel Martinelli (2022-23)."Cunha has everything a United team would want," added Williams."You cannot question the qualities he possesses and the attitude he has in-game in terms of wanting to do anything to win."Cunha first played as a number nine at Wolves but those who have watched him regularly over the past couple of years say his best position is as a left-sided number natural inclination is to come deep and get the ball, and his strengths include running at defenders and 2024-25 numbers match up to those of United captain Bruno scored six times from outside the box - the same number as Fernandes managed. Cunha also registered 51 attempts on target - again, the same number as Fernandes.
