Glen Johnson Warns Liverpool Against Trent Alexander-Arnold Reunion

Liverpool have been urged to resist a romantic reunion with Trent Alexander-Arnold just a year after the defender forced through a move to Real Madrid.

The 27-year-old left Anfield in May 2025 in acrimonious fashion, ending months of tense contract stand-offs by joining Madrid for €10million (£8.5m). With his Liverpool deal due to expire in June 2025, the club had tabled multiple lucrative offers, only for negotiations to stall as Alexander-Arnold weighed up a switch to the Bernabeu.

When he finally walked away, many supporters felt betrayed. This was the local boy who had spoken publicly about dreaming of the captain’s armband. Instead, he chose an early exit so Madrid could register him in time for the Club World Cup. Large sections of the fanbase believed he had strung the club along.

The move has not unfolded as he or Madrid imagined. His first season in Spain was underwhelming, and the European champions have now brought in Denzel Dumfries to push him for the right-back slot. That signing has sparked talk that Alexander-Arnold could already be on the move again, with Liverpool inevitably dragged into the conversation.

Former Liverpool Right-Back's Opinion

One former Liverpool right-back wants no part of it.

“I wouldn’t re-sign him”

Glen Johnson, who played the same position at Anfield, was asked about the prospect of Alexander-Arnold returning, particularly with Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley both coming off injury-disrupted campaigns.

“I’m not sure how the fans would receive that move,” Johnson told Liverpool.com. “I can’t imagine they’d be too happy with it, to be honest, especially if Liverpool had to pay a fee for a local lad who left the club for free twelve months ago.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure the fans would warm back up to him after a while, but I don’t think he’s the same player as he was at Liverpool a year or two ago.

“He’s been a shadow of himself on the pitch since he left Liverpool, and if he’d been great, Real Madrid wouldn’t be letting him go. I wouldn’t re-sign him if I was making the decisions at Liverpool.”

It is a blunt assessment, and it cuts to the heart of the debate: is this the same transformational right-back who redefined the role under Jurgen Klopp, or a fading version carrying the weight of a turbulent year?

Mourinho Wants Him to Stay

Not everyone is ready to give up on Alexander-Arnold. In Spain, there is a very different voice.

AS reported earlier this month that returning Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho wants the club to keep the England international. The Portuguese coach is said to believe he can revive Alexander-Arnold’s form and tap back into the deep-lying playmaker who once dictated games from the right flank at Anfield.

Mourinho’s stance is significant. If Madrid truly intend to keep him and build again, the talk of an early exit could fade quickly. If his struggles continue and Dumfries nails down the starting spot, the noise will only grow louder.

United Link Adds More Intrigue

As if a Liverpool return was not contentious enough, another twist emerged earlier in the summer. Former Manchester United captain Antonio Valencia publicly floated the idea of Alexander-Arnold moving to Old Trafford.

“Trent is a player I like a lot,” Valencia said. “He has a very good right foot, he crosses well, and he is a player who defends well.

“He would be very good for Manchester United. He knows the Premier League. He knows what it means to win the Champions League and the Premier League.

“He is a passionate player, and I would like to see him at Manchester United.

“Hopefully it could happen, because we need players like that at Old Trafford. To play at that stadium, you need people with a lot of personality.

“Manchester always have to renew the squad, and this is a team that we hope can have a good Premier League season and win it.

“But in terms of a right-back… I just hope that whoever comes in can be the best possible option. And I hope [Diogo] Dalot does not leave, of course.”

The idea of Alexander-Arnold in United red feels almost unthinkable given the historic rivalry with Liverpool. Any move between the two clubs, even indirectly and via Madrid, would ignite a storm.

For now, the reality is simpler. Alexander-Arnold is a Real Madrid player fighting for his place, Mourinho wants him to stay, and Liverpool are being told by one of their own to look forward, not back.

If his form does not recover in Spain, though, the question will not go away: who will be brave enough to bet on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s second act?