Andy Townsend says Liverpool should think about bringing Trent Alexander-Arnold back, even if that means reopening an argument many supporters thought had already gone cold. The former Chelsea midfielder has pushed the case for a one-season loan, saying the Real Madrid defender would improve Liverpool straight away. Alexander-Arnold left Liverpool for Real Madrid last summer on a free transfer after 20 years at his boyhood club.

Townsend's case for a loan return

Townsend's view is not complicated. He told metro.co.uk: "First and foremost, purely as a player, if he came back to Liverpool, would he improve them? One hundred per cent, yes." He also said Liverpool could take a season-long loan and would not turn their nose up at fees of £5million to £10million if that got the move done.

That is the part likely to irritate a lot of Liverpool fans, because the emotional side is obvious. The football side is harder to dismiss. Townsend's point is that full-backs matter hugely in the modern game, and Alexander-Arnold's delivery is still one of the cleanest ways to tilt a team into attack.

Why the Madrid spell has not settled the debate

The case for a return is helped by how stop-start his first season in Spain has been. Alexander-Arnold was limited to just 14 La Liga starts and made 21 league appearances, while he started only 22 times across the Spanish top flight and the Champions League combined. He still managed 5 assists, but the numbers point more to disruption than to a settled first choice role.

Madrid have also added Denzel Dumfries from Inter Milan, which adds another body to the right-back picture. Townsend also said Alexander-Arnold had "a few injury issues" and "never really got going" in Spain. Against that backdrop, the idea of Liverpool exploring a loan is not as far-fetched as it sounds, even if it would be unpopular in some corners of Anfield.

For now, though, it remains pundit talk rather than a deal. Liverpool have used Jeremie Frimpong and Calvin Ramsey at right-back in pre-season, while Conor Bradley is still working back from a serious knee injury suffered in January. The club's right side is open enough to fuel the conversation, and Townsend has made clear where he stands.

If Liverpool do seriously revisit Alexander-Arnold, it will be because the football case has stayed alive, not because the mood music around his exit has softened.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →