He Was One of Us - Until He Wasn’t

Trent didn’t just leave the club - he left what made him one of us. And that’s what really hurts.

I didn’t expect to be writing about Trent Alexander-Arnold again. After four articles and more tweets than I care to count, I thought that chapter was closed. But here we are.

His exit should’ve been clean. He played his part, gave us glory, and should’ve been waved off with respect. But instead of owning his decision, he masked it. Fluent in Spanish, press conference gaffes, choreographed goodbyes; all packaged like a brand launch, not a farewell.

This wasn’t about leaving. Players move on. It’s football. But the way he did it, carefully managed and oddly hollow, felt like a betrayal. Not just of the club, but of the supporters who believed in the lad from West Derby.

He didn’t just distance himself from Liverpool FC. He distanced himself from us (remember the bizarre rebuke to the fans at West Ham). From the city. From what made him. And it’s no coincidence that by the time the truth came out, he'd already branded up, already moved on.

Some will say we’re bitter. Maybe. But it’s not because he left. It’s because of the way he left.

Let him go. Let him try. But don’t tell the rest of us how to feel. Loyalty runs deep in this city, and when it’s broken, it doesn’t heal easily. Not when the scar's carved by one of your own.