Chelsea given clear instruction amid Trent Alexander-Arnold transfer talks
When Real Madrid signed Trent Alexander-Arnold in 2025, many believed that his time at the Bernabéu was going to be littered with trophies, but instead, for the ex-Liverpool man, it has been nothing short of a nightmare.
The Madridistas wanted the Englishman so badly that although they had initially agreed on a deal with Liverpool to sign him on a free transfer, they wanted him to play in the Club World Cup, so they struck a deal to pay the Premier League club £10 million to end his contract two weeks before it was scheduled to expire.
Now, with Chelsea's potential issues at right back, Xabi Alonso, who managed Alexander-Arnold last season during his seven-month period in Madrid, wants him to come to Stamford Bridge.
The 28-year-old made 35 appearances across all competitions in his debut season but has found minutes even more difficult to come by since Jose Mourinho was re-appointed as Madrid boss over the summer.
What made the Alexander-Arnold signing perplexing was the acquisition of ex-Inter Milan full-back Denzel Dumfries this past transfer window, providing competition for him, as well as the versatility of Federico Valverde.
The Englishman has only started seven games this season for club and country, and went through a seven-game period in October, where he went five games without an appearance, and was only brought on during injury time in the El Clásico by Jose Mourinho.
But former Premier League full-back, Alan Hutton, believes that the right choice for Alexander Arnold would be for him to reunite with former manager Alonso, as he thinks that the Spaniard can get the best out of the 28-year-old.
Trent Alexander-Arnold could thrive at Chelsea because Xabi Alonso would use him in the correct manner and get the best out of him, because his attacking threat is ridiculous.
What he sees, his vision, his passing ability, it's right up there. It is strange when you watch Real Madrid. I was watching El Clásico, and [Federico] Valverde played at right-back while [Denzel] Dumfries and Trent were on the bench.
With Reece James currently sidelined for what looks to be an extended period of time, and Malo Gusto's future up in the air, and even with the recent development of Josh Acheampong, the right-back position might seem to be a position of improvement for Xabi Alonso's side if they are to make a move up the Premier League table.
With these rumours seemingly building more traction, Jose Mourinho has poured water on the possible departure of Alexander Arnold from the Spanish capital.
I don't like giving bad feelings to players; I prefer them to feel good.
But there are things more important than these feelings, things that matter more for the team at a given moment. I felt we needed to change our midfield and play Fede in that position. It was a decision made for the team, not based on individual players.
