The future of Trent Alexander-Arnold has dominated headlines in the last few days of the January transfer window
Real Madrid's Trent Alexander-Arnold, absent from the squad due to injury, walks onto the pitch before the La Liga week 15 match against Celta Vigo
It's been a dire debut season at Real Madrid for Trent Alexander-Arnold(Image: Burak Akbulut/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Life at Real Madrid has certainly not unfolded as former Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold would have envisaged. With February approaching, the 27-year-old has made just 11 appearances in all competitions, with only six of those coming in the starting XI.
Injuries have plagued Alexander-Arnold's debut season in Spain, with the right-back suffering two separate muscle problems within just over a month. Against the backdrop of his fitness struggles, doubts have begun to surface about whether his Madrid career could be finished before it has truly begun.
Conflicting reports from Spain have emerged, with some claiming manager Alvaro Arbeloa has advised the defender to look for opportunities elsewhere, whilst others suggest the England international still has the backing of the Spanish boss.
Nevertheless, the uncertainty surrounding his future has done nothing to ease the gloom at Anfield following their 3-2 loss to Bournemouth at the weekend. Now sitting sixth in the Premier League standings, Arne Slot's team face a genuine battle to secure Champions League qualification, particularly given the recent resurgence of Manchester United and Chelsea.
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A double fixture against Newcastle United and Manchester City, with a European tie against Qarabag in between, could either derail or revitalise the Reds' underwhelming campaign. We examine the latest transfer developments at Anfield, including a former target explaining why he turned down a switch to Merseyside.
Trent Alexander-Arnold squad update
Trent Alexander-Arnold gets injured
Trent Alexander-Arnold's season has been ravaged by injury(Image: Photo by Mateo Villalba Sanchez/Getty Images)
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The England international last featured on December 3 in a 3-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao, where he registered his sole goal contribution for his new side by setting up the opening strike in Kylian Mbappe's double. His appearance was cut short after 55 minutes due to a left quadricep injury.
Having been absent for nearly two months, he has now rejoined training sessions with aspirations to finally cement his place at the Santiago Bernabeu, almost eight months after completing his £10million transfer from Liverpool.
Early reports suggested Alexander-Arnold could be ruled out for as long as two months, and it seems he is still working on regaining full match fitness. Madrid are set to face Benfica in Portugal on Wednesday for their final league phase fixture in the Champions League.
When the club revealed their matchday squad for this week's encounter in a fresh update on Tuesday afternoon, Alexander-Arnold's name was absent. Whilst this is unlikely to suggest anything about his long-term future as a Real Madrid player, it does show the full-back has yet to demonstrate he is ready to rejoin the first-team squad.
Guehi explains snub
Marc Guehi of Manchester City celebrates after the team's victory in the Premier League match between Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Etihad Stadium on January 24, 2026 in Manchester, England.
Marc Guehi opted to move to Manchester City (Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
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England centre-back Marc Guehi came close to joining Liverpool on Deadline Day but the deal collapsed. In a significant setback to the reigning Premier League champions, Guehi completed a £30million switch to Manchester City last week.
Following his Citizens debut in their 2-0 victory against Wolves last weekend, the 25-year-old disclosed that John Stones and Phil Foden were instrumental in persuading him to join City this month.
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The signing has strengthened their prospects of reclaiming the league crown whilst easing concerns over injuries to players such as Stones, Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol, leaving Liverpool short in defence after the player opted against waiting to see if the Reds would renew their interest in him.
Guehi commented after the final whistle: "We've been talking for quite a while and obviously talked with different clubs. I felt from conversations, through talking with some of the players here, that this was the place for me to improve, to get better and just to help as much as possible. Phil and John, conversations with the manager, conversations with [director of football] Hugo [Viana], so it's been great."