Trent Alexander-Arnold decides whether to leave Real Madrid after recent setback with Jose Mourinho
Trent Alexander-Arnold has reportedly made up his mind about staying at Real Madrid this January, even after spending most of the recent 2-1 win over Barcelona on the bench. Kylian Mbappé scored twice to help José Mourinho’s team secure an important victory in the La Liga title race, with Mourinho celebrating like old times with a classic knee slide.
While Mbappé and most of the Real players will be thrilled with the win, which brings them within three points of Barça after 10 games, Alexander-Arnold might be feeling a bit disappointed. Mourinho chose to start his usual midfielder, Fede Valverde, at right-back, even though both Denzel Dumfries and Alexander-Arnold were fit and ready to play. Dumfries came on with about 30 minutes left, but Alexander-Arnold had to wait until the final minute of stoppage time to get on the field.
The 28-year-old, who joined Real Madrid from Liverpool in 2025, hasn’t been able to secure a regular starting spot under Mourinho. This season, he’s started only three of his seven appearances and has played just 17 league games in total since joining the club.
Because of this, there have been rumors about him possibly going back to Liverpool, although the Reds don’t seem interested. Arsenal and Manchester City are also keeping an eye on him.
However, Spanish journalist Guillem Balague told talkSPORT that Trent plans to stay at Real Madrid at least until the end of the season. He said, “No, he won’t leave in January. He’s thinking, ‘Okay, it’s not my time right now, but it will be. I’ll get ready for my moment.’”
Balague added that Alexander-Arnold is currently behind Valverde and Dumfries for the right-back spot, and even Eder Militao has been used there recently, making him at best the third choice. But Mourinho has encouraged him to keep working hard because his chance will come. He’s also been playing in midfield when he does start, due to others being unavailable.
Despite the challenges, Trent is determined to succeed at Real Madrid and has no plans to leave. He’s under contract until 2031, and the team’s next match is away to Racing Santander on November 1.