Glen Johnson's Take on Trent Alexander-Arnold's Liverpool Reunion
The idea sounds irresistible on paper. Trent Alexander-Arnold, the boy from West Derby who grew up in the shadow of the Kop, back in a red shirt just a year after his shock move to Real Madrid. A redemption arc. A homecoming.
Glen Johnson wants no part of it.
The former Liverpool right-back has urged his old club to walk away from any prospect of bringing Alexander-Arnold back to Anfield, warning that the romance of the story masks some harsh realities.
From dream exit to difficult year
Alexander-Arnold’s departure last summer ripped through the Liverpool fanbase. His contract was due to run out in June 2025, and the club put a lucrative extension on the table multiple times. He stalled. The rumours grew. Madrid circled.
On May 30, 2025, the saga ended with a jolt. Real Madrid paid Liverpool €10million (£8.5m) to release him from his deal a year early, fast-tracking his arrival so he could be ready for the Club World Cup. For many supporters, it felt like a betrayal, not a transfer.
This was the local lad who had spoken openly about wanting to captain Liverpool, the academy product who had become a symbol of the club’s modern era. Instead of signing on for the long haul, he chose the Bernabeu.
The backlash was fierce. A large section of the fanbase believed he had strung the club along for months, running his contract down while weighing up his dream move to Spain.
The gamble has not paid off yet.
Alexander-Arnold’s debut season in Madrid was underwhelming. The attacking verve, the swagger on the ball, the quarterback passing from deep – all of it flickered rather than burned. Madrid’s response this summer was ruthless: they went into the market and signed Denzel Dumfries, a clear statement that Trent’s starting spot is no longer guaranteed.
That decision has fuelled talk that Alexander-Arnold could already be on the move again, with Liverpool inevitably thrown into the conversation as a possible destination.
Johnson’s blunt verdict
Johnson, who knows the demands of the Liverpool right-back role as well as anyone, was asked about the idea of a reunion, especially with Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley both coming off injury-hit campaigns.
His answer cut through the sentiment.
“I’m not sure how the fans would receive that move,” he said, speaking to 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.”
That’s the crux. Liverpool lost one of their biggest assets for a relatively small fee, after months of contract tension. To then return to the table a year later and pay Madrid a premium to get him back would be a hard sell in the stands and in the boardroom.
Johnson didn’t stop there.
“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’s a brutal assessment, but it reflects a wider feeling: Liverpool are trying to build the next version of themselves, not rewind to the last one.
Mourinho’s plan for Trent
One man clearly believes there is still a top-level player to be recovered: Jose Mourinho.
According to Spanish outlet AS, the returning Real Madrid boss wants Alexander-Arnold to stay and is convinced he can revive the deep-lying playmaker who once redefined the right-back position at Anfield.
Mourinho has never been shy about backing himself to rehabilitate big names. In Alexander-Arnold he sees a defender with a world-class right foot, elite crossing ability and experience of winning both the Champions League and Premier League. For a coach who loves structure and discipline, the challenge will be to harness Trent’s creativity without exposing Madrid defensively.
If Mourinho gets that balance right, the conversation about Trent’s future changes quickly.
A wild Manchester United twist
Amid all this, another storyline briefly flickered into life: Manchester United.
Earlier in the summer, Antonio Valencia floated the idea that United should make a stunning move for Alexander-Arnold.
“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.”
On ability alone, Valencia’s logic is easy to follow. On reality, it hits a wall. The rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United makes a move from one to the other almost unthinkable, especially for a player so closely tied to Anfield.
The idea made headlines. It never felt remotely likely.
Liverpool’s future, not Liverpool’s past
So the picture is clear. Madrid have brought in serious competition in Dumfries but, under Mourinho, still see value in keeping Alexander-Arnold. United have been talked up as a fantasy destination by a former captain. And Liverpool, the club that shaped him, are being urged by one of their own former defenders to let the story lie.
Liverpool’s right-back situation is not simple. Frimpong and Bradley’s fitness issues last season exposed a gap in depth. On a pure football level, a peak Alexander-Arnold would instantly raise the ceiling.
But Johnson’s argument goes beyond tactics. It touches on pride, timing and the direction of travel. Liverpool are trying to write a new chapter under a new regime, with a refreshed squad and a different leadership core. Dragging the past back for one more spin carries risk – on the pitch, in the dressing room, and on the terraces.
The romance of a Trent homecoming will always tug at the imagination. The question now is whether Liverpool’s hierarchy listen to their heads, as Johnson insists they should, or to the part of Anfield that still wonders what might have been if their local hero had never walked away.
