Liverpool may miss Trent Alexander-Arnold - but he may have ruined his legacy with a move that might not work for anyone

"Trent Alexander-Arnold was fully entitled to make his move to Real Madrid this summer. Fans may like to romanticise the notion that being a boyhood fan of a club, rising through their ranks, and becoming one of their most important players should be enough for anybody. For some, it would be. But a player only gets one career, and the heart wants what the heart wants. Alexander-Arnold's told him that he had already achieved everything he possibly could at Anfield. With Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League and Club World Cup medals already in his collection, he was correct to think so."

"We can only assume that those same fans who booed Alexander-Arnold have never applied for another job with a different company, and that on point of principle, they will refuse to cheer anything Alexander Isak does in a Liverpool shirt, given the nature of his exit from Newcastle. Anything else would be rank hypocrisy and pure self-interest. But football fandom doesn't work that way."

"When you choose a club to support - or, in many cases, when it chooses you - there is no paperwork to sign agreeing to be entirely coldly logical in how you react to things. Just as Alexander-Arnold was entitled to leave, so too is every fan entitled to their own opinions about it - however irrational and purely emotional they may be, short of some of outright inexcusable and hateful abuse (of which Alexander-Arnold received plenty, for the record)."

Trent Alexander-Arnold left Liverpool for Real Madrid to seek fresh challenges after winning nearly every major trophy at Anfield. He had Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League and Club World Cup medals, leaving little left to achieve domestically. Many Liverpool fans reacted emotionally, booing his move and accusing him of disloyalty, while others defended his right to pursue his career. Fan reactions are driven by self-interest and emotion rather than strict logic, and supporters are entitled to their feelings so long as they avoid inexcusable abuse. The transfer reflects individual career priorities over sentimental ties.

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