Former Chelsea midfielder Andy Townsend has urged Liverpool to pursue a shock loan move to bring Trent Alexander-Arnold back to Anfield, just one year after the right-back left for Real Madrid on a free transfer. Speaking to talkSPORT, Townsend argued that Alexander-Arnold would 'one hundred per cent' improve Liverpool, despite the 27-year-old's difficult debut season in Spain, where injuries and managerial instability limited him to 14 La Liga starts.
Alexander-Arnold's Madrid struggles and England omission
Alexander-Arnold, who spent 20 years at Liverpool before departing last summer, saw his form dip dramatically in Madrid. The England international missed out on Thomas Tuchel's initial 26-man World Cup squad, with Reece James and Tino Livramento preferred as right-backs. The arrival of Jose Mourinho as Madrid boss over the summer, coupled with the signing of Denzel Dumfries from Inter Milan, has further clouded Alexander-Arnold's future at the Bernabeu.
Townsend believes Liverpool should capitalise on this uncertainty, especially given the current injury situation at right-back. New Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola has used Jeremie Frimpong and Calvin Ramsey in pre-season, with Conor Bradley still recovering from a serious knee injury picked up in January.
Townsend: 'Top-drawer' quality would improve Liverpool
'First and foremost, purely as a player, if he came back to Liverpool, would he improve them? One hundred per cent, yes,' Townsend told talkSPORT. 'Frimpong one, as a right back, I've not really got. It's so important nowadays with these full backs being such an important part of a team's attacking intentions. If you can't deliver anything half decent when you get into a good area, and from what I've seen of him so far, I've not really seen that final delivery, which Trent can do in his sleep.'
Townsend acknowledged that a return might be a 'difficult pill for some Liverpool fans to swallow', but suggested a short-term loan deal could benefit all parties. 'Real Madrid have signed Denzel Dumfries from Inter, who would no doubt fit the profile a bit more for Jose Mourinho,' he added. 'They've got Valverde. They've got other players. They've got plenty of cover in that sort of area. So, if you're Trent, at this stage of a pre-season, he will want to think he's got every chance of starting and getting on with it.'
Loan move could be the answer
Townsend believes Alexander-Arnold needs regular football to rediscover his best form, especially after a season that would have been 'a big disappointment to him'. 'He doesn't need another season like he had last time. That would have been a big disappointment to him. Secretly, he would have been a little hurt at the fact that it never happened, never really got going,' Townsend said.
'If Liverpool could get any deal done for him on a loan basis for a season, whatever those fees are nowadays, be it £5million, even £10m, I wouldn't turn your nose up at that to get that boy back through the door, because he is top-drawer.'
Liverpool's transfer priorities
At present, Liverpool appear to be prioritising a move for a new wide forward following Mohamed Salah's departure. The Reds have opened talks with Paris Saint-Germain for Bradley Barcola, although it remains to be seen whether they will meet the £145million valuation for the French winger. A return for Alexander-Arnold would be a separate and unexpected move, but Townsend insists it would be a smart piece of business.
