Trent Alexander Arnold has confirmed his departure from Liverpool and is closer than ever to join Real Madrid on a free transfer at the conclusion of the season. The player may also arrive early for the Club World Cup but there are certain conditions Liverpool have imposed for that to happen.
Arsene Wenger, regarded by many as one of the greatest football managers of all time, has expressed his thoughts on the transfer and shed light on where football may be headed in the future.
The French manager said to Bein Sports France (via MARCA), "I think Trent's (Alexander-Arnold) transfer shows a new trend in the game, there are no more transfers of the big players. They all leave at the end of their contract. The wages are so high that it's no longer possible to pay the transfers!"
Wenger's statements tell of a new story that may be true.
Football is changing dramatically, as is the sport's finances. It is, without a doubt, the most popular sport in the world, and its top athletes earn a lot of money.
Arsene Wenger talked about how Real Madrid signed Trent and Kylian Mbappe
The manager further went on to state, "Real Madrid contacted Alexander-Arnold a long, long time ago. Big clubs do this. Two years before the end of the contract, they tell you: 'We want to sign you, we'll give you this salary and we'll try to make an offer to your club.' If it doesn't work out, they come back next year, and if not, they'll sign you for free. That's what they did with Mbappé."
I find no falsity in Wenger's story. The transfer market has grown so much in recent years that it has gone beyond anything anyone could have predicted.
The $100 million price tag for a one-season wonder player has become the standard. Back then, the sum could acquire you players like Cristiano Ronaldo or Gareth Bale.
The transfer fees and wages of top players have skyrocketed to the point where clubs like Real Madrid, which are very serious about their financial stability, are forced to wait until the end of a player's contract to offer them competitive salaries while saving money on transfer fees.
Real Madrid have supposedly developed a love for their new tactic. They have signed David Alaba, Antonio Rudiger, Kylian Mbappe, and, most recently, Trent-Alexander Arnold in this manner, and are expected to do so again with upcoming top targets.
Los Blancos will wait until the top players on their list have completed their contracts with their present clubs while informing them of their interest to prevent them from renewing and bringing them on board when their agreements expire.
This has become the new normal in football.