Jamie Carragher says Trent Alexander-Arnold made a big mistake joining Real Madrid and would bring the England right-back straight back to Liverpool, where his creativity has been badly missed since he left Anfield in 2025.
Speaking on The Overlap's Fan Debate, the former Liverpool defender did not hold back on a player he has criticised plenty of times before. "I would bring him back," Carragher said. "He would get a lot of criticism, because I think he made a mistake. I think he made a big mistake going to Madrid. We have certainly missed his creativity."
This is an opinion from a pundit, not news of any talks — there is no indication at this stage that a return will actually happen. But coming from Carragher, one of Alexander-Arnold's loudest critics when he ran down his contract to leave, the verdict carries real weight.
Third choice in Madrid
Carragher's case starts with how far Alexander-Arnold has fallen at the Bernabeu. "At the moment, he is the third option at right-back for Madrid," he said. "They are playing a midfielder, Federico Valverde, in that position; even in the Clasico, Denzel Dumfries came on ahead of him. When you are the third option at a club, obviously they want you to leave."
The numbers back that up. Alexander-Arnold has made just seven appearances in all competitions this season, only four of them starts, totalling 345 minutes with one assist, as reported by SoccerNews. In Sunday's 2-1 Clasico win over Barcelona he was introduced only in stoppage time — a token cameo for a player who was supposed to be Madrid's long-term right-back.
It is a long way from the player who made 354 appearances for Liverpool, won two Premier League titles, the Champions League, an FA Cup, two EFL Cups, the Super Cup and the Club World Cup, and set the Premier League record for assists by a defender with 64 — still ahead of Andy Robertson's 62.
The hole he left at Anfield
Carragher was just as blunt about what Liverpool lost. Ronald Araujo has filled in impressively at right-back, but the passing and invention from that side have gone. "Ronnie has been fantastic, but we do have a problem in terms of full-backs passing," he said, in quotes also carried by This Is Anfield. "We've definitely missed his creativity."
That problem is live right now. Liverpool go into Sunday's huge Premier League game at home to Arsenal with Jeremie Frimpong struggling with a muscle injury and Conor Bradley among those out, after Wednesday's penalty shootout win over Chelsea — the cup win that sent Liverpool into the quarter-finals — again underlined how stretched the position is.
The supporters, though, may need more persuading than Carragher. Fan panellist Gareth Roberts called a return "a tough one for the fans", pointing to the way Alexander-Arnold left and reaction on social media at the time, even while admitting he probably would take him back himself.
So what happens next?
Alexander-Arnold is not short of Premier League interest if Madrid do decide to move him on. Chelsea were reported last week to have had a move approved by their manager — the Stamford Bridge link we covered when it first emerged — so an Anfield reunion would not be the only route back to England, and it would be the most emotionally complicated one.
For Liverpool the sporting logic is obvious and the timing is awkward: they need a right-back who can pass them out of trouble against Arsenal on Sunday, not in January. For Alexander-Arnold the choice is starker — fight on as third choice under Jose Mourinho, or accept that the Madrid gamble has failed. Carragher has made his view clear. The player, so far, has said nothing.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Carragher is right on the football and honest about the rest — Trent made a big mistake, Liverpool miss him every week, and third choice at Madrid is a career going backwards. But a return would only work if everyone stops pretending the exit did not happen: the fans who booed him, the club that let him run his deal down, and the player himself. Talent says bring him back. Pride, on all sides, is the obstacle. Would you have Trent Alexander-Arnold back at Liverpool?
