Latest news with #TrentAlexanderArnold
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Andy Robertson Responds to Liverpool Vice-Captain Rumours
Robertson, Rumour and Role: Shadows of Leadership at Liverpool In the humidity of Hong Kong's neon sky, Liverpool drifted through a pre-season spell that felt less like football and more like theatre. Against AC Milan, the match played out with a rhythm that twisted between purpose and mystery, leaving supporters with more questions than answers. Among them, one hums the loudest through the corridors of Anfield: who will become vice-captain now that Trent Alexander-Arnold has departed for Madrid's marble halls? This isn't a straightforward football tale. It's textured, laden with quiet glances and unspoken conversations. In the stillness following the Reds' defeat, a whisper took form — Andy Robertson. The Scotland captain, known for his relentless energy and razor-sharp edge down the left, was rumoured to be next in line. Photo: IMAGO Robertson Reacts in Shadows After the game, Robertson was asked directly about the role. The Scot responded, but it wasn't quite an answer, more of a laugh echoing through red mist. 'I've seen rumours, I've had texts and I've had people congratulating me, but I've not heard anything!' Robertson told The Anfield Wrap, a grin tugging at the corner of his words. 'We're obviously part of the leadership group, me, Mo [Salah], Ali [Alisson] and obviously Virgil being captain. The manager's not spoken to any of us yet, obviously we've lost Trent as vice captain so that role is available. But we do what we do, the four of us are a good tight-knit group.' It sounds casual. But listen closely, and there's something else beneath it. Something unsaid. Like an answer that's already written but waiting for the right time to be spoken aloud. Slot's Silence and the Decision Already Made Behind the curtain, Arne Slot already knows the name. Liverpool's head coach confirmed the decision exists. But like a magician holding a card behind his back, he refused to show it. 'It is probably already decided but I'm not telling it here yet who will be the new vice-captain,' Slot revealed after the match. 'But it's clear we have more than a few that can take that role.' Slot, who led Liverpool to Premier League glory in his very first season, operates not just with tactical brilliance but a sort of mysticism. He sees leadership not as a badge but a presence, a force humming through the training ground and dressing room alike. Leadership Beyond the Armband At Liverpool, vice-captaincy isn't only about titles. It's in gestures, eye contact, the silence before the storm. Robertson, Alisson, Salah — these figures move with gravity. Virgil van Dijk may wear the captain's armband, but the soul of leadership is diffused, like the red lights of Anfield spilling into fog. As rumours ripple and the truth waits, Liverpool prepare for what's next. The Premier League beckons again. The ghost of what was and the shape of what's coming both linger at Melwood, now under Slot's calm, cryptic command. Whether Robertson steps forward or remains part of the chorus, the play goes on. And Liverpool, under Slot's gaze, keep walking that line between clarity and dream.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Arne Slot has a WILD plan to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold with £60m star
Arne Slot has a plan to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold and it includes the club's £60m star. Things are going to be different at Liverpool next season. It's not being spoken about much but the reality is that the Reds are going to miss Alexander-Arnold's ability to progress the ball from deep and create chances from the right-flank. LFC x Nike Air Max Buy Now LFC Retro Shirts Buy Now LFC Kits Buy Now LFC Nike Training Buy Now Now, this doesn't mean they are going to be worse off without him. Far from it, Liverpool already look like a much better side with a plethora of new arrivals. However, it does appear that Slot is working on a plan to replace Alexander-Arnold's good qualities on the ball with an interesting option at right-back. Despite having Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong, Slot may have another player in mind to use in that position in some games next season and he just trialled this in a pre-season friendly. Early Sunday afternoon, Liverpool played a behind closed doors friendly against Stoke City. The Reds ran away 5-0 winners, with Darwin Nunez scoring a hat-trick. Rio Ngumoha and Federico Chiesa scored the other two goals for Liverpool with Florian Wirtz making his debut. But what was the most interesting part of the game was probably who was used as the right-back in the starting line-up. Instead of Frimpong and Bradley, Slot went with Dominik Szoboszlai. The starting line-up therefore looked like this: Mamardashvili, Szoboszlai, Van Dijk, Gomez, Robertson, Jones, Nyoni, Wirtz, Salah, Nunez, Ngumoha. Arguably, this was the line-up which included the most starters in a game where Luis Diaz, Alexis Mac Allister and Alisson were all absent from. And surprisingly, Szoboszlai got the nod to start as the right-back. The Hungarian didn't disappoint, he was involved in the first two goals from the game. His attempted through ball was only half-cleared for Liverpool's opening goal which allowed Nunez to follow up and score. And Szoboszlai registered the assist for Nunez's second goal with a low-cross. This isn't an entirely new role for the Hungarian. He's played as a right-back for RB Leipzig in the past. The Reds' £60m acquisition from the German side (BBC) once played there against Teutonia in the DFB Pokal. During that game, Szoboszlai played one of his best matches for Leipzig. He registered two assists the match, created seven chances and broke a DFB Pokal record as per Opta. According to Opta, he was the first DFB Pokal player to achieve the following statistics in a single match: So impressive was his performance that his teammate Benjamin Henrichs commented 'Dani Alves' under his Instagram post from the match. That brilliant performance is a taster of what he could do if he were to play in that position. Szoboszlai's best ability is his quality when it comes to making progressive balls from deep - this is something we haven't seen of him too much at Liverpool but it's an area of his game he excelled in at Salzburg and Leipzig and continues to do for the Hungarian national team. It's probably not something we will see often. However, in some games where Slot knows his team are going to control possession, Szoboszlai could be useful in the role, inverting into the middle or staying on the flanks to play that Alexander-Arnold role, which only the Hungarian is capable of playing in this Liverpool team at the moment.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Watch: New Real Madrid signing arrives in Spain
Footage stemming from Spain's capital on Wednesday evening is no doubt set to spark excitement across the fanbase of La Liga giants Real Madrid. This comes after another of the club's new signings arrived in the city, ahead of being unveiled as a Blancos player. Advertisement The player in question? Trent Alexander-Arnold. Right-back Alexander-Arnold was of course announced as a new Real Madrid player late last month. The 26-year-old had since linked up with Thomas Tuchel's England national team squad, for a pair of fixtures against Andorra and Senegal. With their new defender's international commitments now complete, though, Real Madrid announced earlier today that Alexander-Arnold will be officially presented in front of the media on Thursday. And as alluded to above, late this evening, the former Liverpool standout touched down in his new home for the first time. In footage captured by El Chiringuito TV, Alexander-Arnold can be seen in the city of Madrid, entering a private car: Conor Laird – GSFN
The Sun
18-07-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Dream Team bosses would do well to remember Lewis Hall's blazing pre-injury form
IT'S never too early for Dream Team managers to start weighing up options ahead of the new season. Continuing our SCOUT REPORT series, we're taking a closer look at Lewis Hall (£4.5m). 3 Dream Team managers would be forgiven for momentarily forgetting about Newcastle's left-back as he's been sidelined since February. Hall suffered a nasty foot injury that required surgery just prior to the Magpies' Carabao Cup final victory over Liverpool. Consequently, the 20-year-old missed the last three months of the campaign but, barring any setbacks, he is expected to be fit when the Toon get underway at Villa Park on August 16th. When deciding upon their XI for Gameweek 1, Dream Team bosses would do well remember Hall's performances before his season was cut short. He averaged 5.6 points-per-game in 2024/25, a rate bettered by just three defenders, one of them being Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is sadly no longer a Dream Team asset following his transfer to Real Madrid. 3 Hall contributed seven assists in all competitions, putting him joint-fifth in the metric among players in his position. One wonders where he would have ranked had he not missed a third of the season. Add in 12 clean sheets and a healthy return of 25 bonus points and it's no wonder Hall racked up 189 points in swift time. A common opinion among the St James' Park faithful is that Hall is destined to start for England at the World Cup next summer, such was his pre-injury form. And Dream Team bosses weren't shy when it came to backing the ex-Chelsea defender last season. A particularly fruitful burst of 55 points in five games during the festive period resulted in him becoming one of the most selected players in his position. 3 It will be interesting to see what ownership Hall commands come Gameweek 1 although it's worth noting that Eddie Howe's side start their campaign with two relatively tricky league games against Aston Villa (a) and Liverpool (h). It might be that gaffers keen on Hall wait until Gameweek 3 when Newcastle travel to Elland Road to face newly-promoted Leeds, with league outings against Wolves and Bournemouth to follow. Additionally, Newcastle will start their Champions League campaign in September. Hall and company did not have European commitments in 2024/25 and while they are likely to face tough opposition, a busier schedule should yield extra points. At the time of writing, Hall features in just 0.3% of teams.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liverpool star wants Real Madrid move
Liverpool fans know that the players in Arne Slot's squad right now are only available for the here and now, as nothing can be guaranteed when it comes to their long-term futures. Contracts will be offered, and you will hope that the team's success convinced them to stay for the foreseeable, but football is all about circumstance. We don't know what's going to happen next. Advertisement Trent Alexander-Arnold, for example, was a player that we though would be playing on Merseyside for the entirety of his career, following the pathway laid by Steven Gerrard, but he's now gone. Likewise, no one could have imagined that Mohamed Salah could potentially stay for 10 years at the club, overtaking almost every record in sight. He's etched himself into the fabric of the club's history. Mac Allister green lights Madrid move? In the case of Alexis Mac Alister, we really don't know where we stand with him. The last report we made on him was that Xabi Alonso wants him, but a €100m valuation was likely to get in the way. Advertisement As you would expect, he is a player that is going to be attracting attention from across the world. He's a World Cup winner and now a Premier League winner, playing an integral role in the successes. He adapted to play a defensive midfield role in his first season and last season, we saw him in his element as a central midfielder, playing an all-round role in attack and defence. He was everywhere. Earlier this year, he reaffirmed his commitment to the club and he is quickly developing into a Steven Gerrard-type midfielder, proving to be a point of difference in the decisive moments for the team. Furthermore, he is contracted until 2028 and a new deal is likely to arrive in the next year or so.
