Richard Keys has claimed Liverpool need to cash in on Trent Alexander-Arnold, who he describes as an 'ordinary defender'.
The right back's contract expires and Real Madrid is turning around. The Spanish giants already made a bid this month, but Liverpool quickly rejected it as they remain hopeful of Alexander-Arnold staying at Anfield.
The Reds could lose their youth star for nothing in a matter of months if they don't opt to cash in in the coming weeks. Keys believes they should take the money and spend time on the saga. His performance in Sunday's draw against Manchester United underlined his defensive weaknesses.
Throughout his career, although Alexander-Arnold received great praise for his performances in the final third, he was consistently criticized for his lack of quality as part of a back four. The Bein Sports presenter insists Liverpool's season will not rest on his stay.
He wrote on his blog: “As for TAA. Not much more to say? His performance proved that Liverpool should take Madrid's £20m and settle the on-off transfer saga around him. Clearly he leaves – so take the matter to a head.
“It doesn't matter all the sentimental, misleading nonsense spewed out by Liverpool pundits who should know better: get the deal done. Trust me, Liverpool's season will not depend on an ordinary 'defender' stay or leave. I'm not saying he's not a good player, I just think his skills are better suited to Madrid. Defending is not his strength and the debate is distracting him.”
In addition to the speculation surrounding Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool also has to deal with the fuss surrounding Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk.
Jamie Carragher, despite all the rumors doing the rounds, admitted that Alexander-Arnold's sub-par performance on Sunday couldn't have come at a worse time. He said: “I thought he was very poor today, I don't think the game could have gone much worse for him. There would definitely be attention on him, I expected Trent to bring the performances we saw, so often he almost dominates the game from right back, as a playmaker.
“I expected a very big performance. He was bad defensively, which we have seen before, but there was nothing forward, not even on the ball. Only he knows if the conversation affected him, but the fact that he was so bad.” in the first match after Real Madrid's bid, tells me it must have influenced him.”
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