It was one of football’s worst kept secrets for around a year that the 26-year-old would swap his boyhood club, Liverpool, for the glitz and glamour of Real Madrid, eventually joining for a reported £8.4 million to get him early for the Club World Cup.
A minor muscle issue at the Club World Cup, combined with Madrid’s shortened pre-season after playing in the tournament until July 9 then curtailed his preparation for the 2025-26 season somewhat.
So, how has Alexander Arnold got on since making the move?
Not necessarily the first choice
Given the nearly year-long courtship, it wouldn’t have been unreasonable for the England international to expect he would walk right into Real Madrid’s starting eleven, and during their Club World Cup campaign, he was Xabi Alonso’s first choice.
Alexander-Arnold started all five of their Club World Cup games, making his debut in the 1-1 draw with Al-Hilal. He was relatively impressive during the tournament, even providing the assist for Gonzalo Garcia in the 1-0 win over Juventus.
Unfortunately for the right-back, there was one huge caveat to featuring so much right off that bat, Dani Carvajal was injured. He started their La Liga opener against Osasuna, but since then, it’s been a different story.
Over his last four games for Real Madrid across all competitions, Alexander-Arnold has featured for just 88 minutes, with Alonso clearly preferring captain Carvajal ahead of him, for the moment at least.
When Alonso when he benched Alexander-Arnold for the match against Oviedo, the coach explained that “changes from game to game depend on what we need in terms of workload and the opposition; I haven’t made any decisions for next month”.
The age old question
With Carvajal back in the fold, there have been rumblings that Alexander-Arnold could be moved into midfield. It’s the theory that has haunted his career; his ability to pass means he would SURELY be better off as a central midfielder, right?
Alonso doesn’t necessarily agree, saying: “He has done it at Liverpool and in the national team. He can go inside a little bit, he is a very different full-back, he doesn’t only occupy outside spaces.
“What happens around him is important, you have to know how to choose the moments. But having his feet and his quality and his understanding of the game for us is very positive.”
Real Madrid are pretty well covered in that position, with Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, Daniel Ceballos, and Arda Guler all more than capable of filling Alonso’s three, so don’t expect it to happen any time soon.
Is he in danger of missing out on the World Cup?
England manager Thomas Tuchel hasn’t called Alexander-Arnold up since June, but he was benched in the World Cup qualifier against Andorra, only coming on for the final 30 minutes, and was an unused sub in the 3-1 friendly defeat to Senegal three days later.
Since then, Tuchel has opted against recalling him, with Chelsea’s Reece James seemingly preferred ahead of Alexander-Arnold now that he’s fit. Considering James’ performances in an England shirt for Tuchel, it’s easy to see why.
Tuchel, who spoke with the player by phone to provide an explanation for his decision revealed that Alexander-Arnold made it clear he is “desperate and keen to return and play for England.”
It would be a huge call from the German not to at least take Alexander-Arnold to the tournament next year, especially since it looks like Walker’s best days are well past him, so don’t expect him to miss out unless something remarkable happens.
What next for Alexander-Arnold?
The right-back spent most of his life playing football for Liverpool before deciding to leave for an entirely different environment, culture, and style. He’s also had to content with a few little injuries here and there, along with a pre-season completely ruined by the Club World Cup.
It’s still early days for him, given time, he will be a success at Real Madrid.