Arne Slot has weighed in on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s pointed goal celebration against West Ham United on Sunday and said that it “tells you enough” about his contract situation at the club.
After scoring Liverpool’s fourth goal in their rampant 5-0 win at London Stadium, Alexander-Arnold made a chirping gesture with his hand which appeared to be in reference to the intense speculation over his future at the club.
The 26-year-old, who is yet to sign an extension on his Liverpool deal that expires at the end of the season, has drawn strong interest from Real Madrid. He is free to sign a pre-contract with any club outside England in January should he decide against committing his future to Anfield.
A fog remains over the Alexander-Arnold’s teammates Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah’s futures at the club as well, with both their contracts up at the end of the season. But given his relatively young age and the fact that he’s come through the Liverpool academy, the discussion around the right-back’s future is at a higher tenor than that Van Dijk and Salah.
When asked about Alexander-Arnold’s celebration, Slot said: “No, I don’t think it’s negative at all. He’s playing really well, scored a great goal and the way he celebrated his goal probably tells you enough. I don’t think I have to say much more about it.
“I’m really happy with Trent, just as happy as I am with Mo [Salah] and with Virgil. So for me, there’s no difference. For the outside world, maybe there’s a bit more things happening around Trent in the media than with the other two but I’m happy with all three of them at the moment.”
Meanwhile, Salah told Sky Sports after Sunday’s game that while he is “far away” from penning a new deal at Anfield, he is focused on winning the Premier League this season.
Salah’s 17 goals and 13 assists this season have been the driving force behind Liverpool’s title charge, with their win over West Ham taking them eight points clear at the top of the table.
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