Jamie Carragher speaks out: Why Trent Alexander-Arnold's Liverpool exit has fans so furious

‎Jamie Carragher has publicly supported Liverpool fans’ emotional response to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s decision to leave the club for a likely move to Real Madrid, suggesting that the reaction is not only natural but justified.

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‎'Trent Alexander-Arnold.'

‎Getty Images Sport

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‎The 26-year-old, who confirmed on Monday that he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, is expected to join Real Madrid in what could be one of the most controversial exits of a homegrown talent in recent memory. Alexander-Arnold, an academy graduate and local icon, has spent two decades at Anfield, rising from boyhood fan to Champions League and Premier League winner.

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‎But as Carragher writes in his Telegraph column, the sense of betrayal among Liverpool’s fanbase is real—and not simply a product of sentimentality.

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‎“There is a simmering resentment from the local fanbase,” Carragher noted, “that [Alexander-Arnold] is trying to separate himself from ‘their own’, or thinks there is something bigger or better out there.” He likened the situation to a hypothetical in which Manchester United legends Ryan Giggs or Paul Scholes had left for Spain in their prime, pointing out that fans value loyalty as much as trophies.

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‎Carragher also referenced Steven Gerrard, Alexander-Arnold’s childhood idol, who famously turned down Real Madrid to stay with Liverpool, becoming a symbol of unwavering commitment. “Fans did not think Alexander-Arnold saw his path in the same way as [Michael] Owen and Beckham,” he added, drawing a clear line between the club’s eternal heroes and those whose departures are seen as betrayals.

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‎The emotional fallout has been palpable. Many supporters and even local institutions have voiced disapproval, with social media commentary veering from disappointment to outright anger. While some believe the full-back has earned the right to pursue a new challenge after years of service and success, others feel his departure erodes the image of the “one-club man” so deeply cherished in Liverpool’s culture.

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‎Alexander-Arnold is expected to play his penultimate home match this Sunday against Arsenal, and it remains uncertain how the Anfield crowd will receive him. Will it be applause for a club legend—or cold indifference toward a player they thought would never leave?

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‎As Carragher states bluntly: “Fans are obviously going to be upset.” And judging by the reaction so far, they are.