David Beckham has spoken about the similarities between himself anf Trent Alexander-Arnold(Image: Getty Images)

'Trent Alexander-Arnold can learn from David Beckham – Liverpool need to watch out'

ANDY DUNN COLUMN: Of the three Liverpool players whose Anfield contracts need to be sorted as soon as possible, Trent Alexander-Arnold should be number one on the list

by · The Mirror

In his interview with Rio Ferdinand’s podcast, David Beckham says he sees a lot of himself in the way Trent Alexander-Arnold strikes a ball. And you can see where Beckham is coming from.

Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick in Finland was vintage Becks. The similarities, though, might not end there.

For over a decade, Beckham was a one-club young man, joining Manchester United as a boy and making 394 appearances over the space of a decade before leaving for Real Madrid.

After joining Liverpool as a boy, Alexander-Arnold has made 319 appearances since his senior debut eight years ago. The Beckham template might be one that interests Alexander-Arnold, who continues to be linked with a move to the Bernabeu.

Alexander-Arnold has expanding business concerns, already showing an interest in matters away from the pitch, just as Beckham did at his age. Trent is not a brand yet but there is no reason why he could not be. He is a very marketable athlete.

And he would probably be even more marketable if he did get a move to Real Madrid, not to mention being in a position to play for Europe’s most successful club alongside some of the world's best players.

Let’s face it, even the most ardent, blinkered Liverpool fan would have a semblance of understanding if Alexander-Arnold accepted an offer from the Spanish champions if it was forthcoming.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah are all out of contract at the end of this season and there is no sign of any of them agreeing a new deal( Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

You are only here once and it would be a fantastic opportunity if it arose. He would be playing alongside Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe, and the white of Real opens up a whole new world of commercial opportunity, as Beckham would tell him.

If Real Madrid really do want to sign him, there might be very little Liverpool can do about it, other, of course, than to offer him a lot of money. Which is exactly what they will have to do to get Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk to sign new contracts.

It seems obvious that Liverpool would like all three to agree new deals but, realistically, the club must have a pecking order - and 26-year-old Alexander-Arnold must be the priority.

The frightening thing about Alexander-Arnold’s game is that there appears to be a lot of untapped potential and as his leadership role develops, so will his game.

Trent Alexander-Arnold celebrates his sensational free-kick in Finland last Sunday, the type of strike that brought back memories for David Beckham( Image: Michael Regan)

At Anfield, he is captain-elect and as influential a player as Arne Slot has at his disposal. Finally being made to feel as though he belongs in an England starting line-up will also boost confidence that hardly needed boosting, although it will be interesting to get Thomas Tuchel’s take on him.

Liverpool will, no doubt, offer attractive deals to the three blue chip players who are out of contract next summer but the financial considerations will not be simple. Forbes, the highly-respected American business magazine, published its latest rich list of soccer players this week.

Predictably, Cristiano Ronaldo was top but Salah was in an interesting eighth place. According to Forbes, Salah’s on-field earnings for the past year came in at around £27million. That is £500,00 a week. That will not be base salary but other estimates suggest he is on around £350,000 a week.

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham have forged a close friendship that could be instrumental in the Liverpool full-back's long-term plans( Image: Getty Images)

While Salah, a very fit 32, looks like he has a good three or four years left at the very, very top, Liverpool will surely be reluctant to give him another pay rise. And the same will go for 33-year-old Van Dijk, in peerless form right now but surely at his peak.

Alexander-Arnold is not at his peak but is approaching his prime years. If Real Madrid do want to sign him, there might be nothing Liverpool can do about it. But when negotiating with their three stars, Liverpool’s executives - along with Arne Slot - will surely have a pecking order in their own minds.

And Alexander-Arnold should be at the top of it.

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