Trent Alexander-Arnold knows trophies mean more at Liverpool than Real Madrid - homegrown star can become an Anfield icon by signing a new contract and winning the Reds more silverware

While Alexander-Arnold has never expressed any desire to actually leave Liverpool, he did admit on Saturday that the prospect of success will be the determining factor in his decision over his future. "The most important thing is always trophies," he said. "I want to win trophies, I am a player who is highly motivated by trophies and winning things and being elite... That is what drives me."

It's, thus, easy to understand why he would be interested in joining Madrid, who have won more European Cups than any other club. They are footballing royalty, a team that nearly every elite player dreams of joining - as Liverpool know only too well. Academy graduates Steve McManaman and Michael Owen both found the lure of Madrid impossible to resist.

McManaman had his issues with Liverpool ahead of his exit on a Bosman in 1999 - he felt underappreciated, underpaid and was annoyed by the presumption that he would eventually extend his expiring contract just because he was a Scouser - but he was also seduced by the allure of "that white kit, Di Stefano, Puskas and all of that history".

Owen was just as excited by the prospect of moving to Madrid, but "didn't sleep for a week before" leaving Liverpool, so torn was he over turning his back on the club that had launched him towards superstardom.

"Even on the drive to the airport, I was crying my eyes out, I don't mind telling you," the Ballon d'Or winner told GOAL. "Because you think you're going to be a Liverpool player for life. But then you think, 'Oh my God, it's Real Madrid – I'll regret this forever if I say no.' It was a chance to experience a different league, a different country, a different language, a different culture.

"It was about being able to play in that famous white kit, to play in the Bernabeu, to play with (Zinedine) Zidane, (Luis) Figo, (David) Beckham, Roberto Carlos. But even then, two seconds later I was thinking, 'No, I want to be at Liverpool for the rest of my life.' So, it was just one of those really tough, life-changing calls."

Alexander-Arnold is now facing just as momentous a decision.

Much has obviously been made of the recent change of coach at Anfield, with Arne Slot having replaced Jurgen Klopp at the helm during the summer - and that's understandable to a degree. The charismatic Klopp didn't just give Alexander-Arnold his debut, he made him a key player in one of the finest Liverpool teams of all time.

Despite the versatile defender's obvious world-class qualities, there were no guarantees that Alexander-Arnold would be just as integral a member of Slot's side, and eyebrows were raised when he was taken off in the closing stages of each of Liverpool's first three games of the new Premier League season, particularly as the 25-year-old looked so upset by his withdrawal against Brentford.

Graeme Souness interpreted the early exits as a sign that Alexander-Arnold may have already made his mind up to join Madrid and that Slot was, thus, prepping Conor Bradley to take over at right-back next season, while Paul Scholes even went so far as to say of the Dutch coach, "I'm not sure if he likes Trent."

Nothing could be further from the truth, though. Rather than hurting Liverpool's hopes of holding onto Alexander-Arnold, Slot's arrival may have actually boosted them.

Alexander-Arnold is his own harshest critic, which is really saying something given we're talking about the most scrutinised defender in world football over the past five years. His crossing and passing are always acknowledged, but every perceived positional error is pored over in the press, whereas English right-back rivals Reece James, Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker so often get off lightly.

Even when he performs his defensive duties diligently - as he did against Rafael Leao in last week's Champions League win at AC Milan - he is rarely lauded for that side of his game. It doesn't seem to bother him too much, though, which shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, in fairness, as this is an ambitious young man who more interested in improvement than praise.

Consequently, he even went so far as to request that Slot be brutally honest with him at all times.

"We kind of talked about targets and aims and I said to him that I would like to be the defender that no-one wants to come up against in Europe," Alexander-Arnold revealed on Saturday. "If any time an attacker gets by me and gets past me, he will call it out in meetings and individual meetings and say 'This cannot happen.'

"So, we go through every game together and he highlights where he wants me to improve. Even in the Milan game, we had about 20 clips going through what I could have done better and the good parts as well. It is really refreshing to have a manager who will help, guide and teach me how to be better as a player. I am someone who wants to learn, someone who wants to be the best and someone who strives to be the best ever."

Some will question whether Alexander-Arnold can achieve his goals, while also continuing to lift major trophies, at Liverpool - but the simple answer is that he's already done it before. There was certainly no more exciting right-back in the world while the Reds were winning the Champions League and Premier League under Klopp; there's no reason why he can't scale such heights again under Slot.

It would be asking too much for the former Feyenoord boss to win the title in his first season in England, but Liverpool look more than capable of at least challenging Manchester City and Arsenal for top spot on the back of a far-from-flawless but nonetheless hugely encouraging start to the post-Klopp era.

The emphasis at Anfield now appears to be, less chaos, more control - and that should suit Alexander-Arnold, who is also clearly benefiting from the cover provided by Slot's use of a double-pivot in midfield. Indeed, when asked about his assist for Luis Diaz's goal against Bournemouth, Alexander-Arnold agreed that it wasn't regular for a right-back to be so far forward, pointing out that it was instead an illustration of the "freedom" to attack he enjoys within Slot's system.

"It is working well," the Liverpudlian said. "There is a big emphasis on the midfield overload and getting the triangles right. We worked on that in training and we executed it to perfection [against Bournemouth]. So, for now, I am completely focused on this season and how many goals, assists and clean sheets I can get and hopefully do enough to help us win the league."

The title is certainly a realistic target for Liverpool this season. The squad remains a tad short in certain areas, but Ryan Gravenberch has been a revelation in the No.6 role, the defence has been breached just once in five Premier League matches, while Liverpool remains well stocked in attack.

The future also appears bright when one considers that Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez, Ibrahima Konate, Bradley, Jarell Quansah and Harvey Elliott are all 25 or under. Klopp left behind the makings of another fine team and the early signs are that Slot is more than capable of finishing the work the started by his predecessor.

Alexander-Arnold is also perfectly placed to become the leader of the new group. Whether Van Dijk and/or Salah sign new contracts themselves between now and the end of the season, Alexander-Arnold is quite clearly the face of the next generation at Anfield, the "normal lad from Liverpool" seemingly destined to follow in the footsteps of Steven Gerrard by going from the academy to club captain.

"That is an aim of mine and a goal of mine," he admitted once again on Saturday before adding, "Whether that happens is out of my hands."

The important thing, though, is that he still wants the armband, because it suggests that his bond with the only club he's ever known remains as strong as ever - and, more importantly, that the prospect of lifting trophies would still mean more to him with Liverpool than Madrid.

Alexander-Arnold, remember, argued last year that the titles Liverpool won under Klopp were of greater value than those claimed by Manchester City during the same spell because of "how both clubs have built their teams and the manner in which we've done it. We're up against a machine that's built to win." Madrid are not really any different in that regard; it is a super-club where success is almost a given because of financial factors and state support.

Liverpool, of course, are hardly paupers by comparison, but there's no denying that winning another title or Champions League with the Reds - and this time as captain - would trump anything Alexander-Arnold might achieve at the Bernabeu.

As Roma legend and one-club icon Francesco Totti once said, one title with his hometown club was "worth 10 elsewhere". Alexander-Arnold clearly feels likewise, but his obvious love of Liverpool shouldn't be tested any longer. Otherwise another Kop idol will end up in that famous white kit.