Trent Alexander-Arnold is currently the third-choice right-back at Real Madrid — a startling fall for the England star who joined the Spanish giants in June 2025 with ambitions of owning the position. With manager Jose Mourinho now favouring midfielder Fede Valverde at right-back, questions are growing over where Alexander-Arnold’s future lies.
The numbers tell the story: Alexander-Arnold has featured in just seven of Real’s 13 games this season, starting four times with one assist. His involvement has declined sharply over the past four games — unused against Roma, Sevilla and RB Leipzig, and given only a couple of minutes as a stoppage-time substitute in the Clasico. (Image Credits: BBC Sport)
Why Alexander-Arnold Is Third-Choice at Real Madrid
The summer arrival of Denzel Dumfries from Inter Milan added serious competition, and Mourinho’s decision to start Valverde — normally a midfielder — at right-back pushed Alexander-Arnold down to third in the pecking order.
Mourinho addressed speculation about a January exit directly: “First of all, it hurts me. I don’t like to make players feel bad. I want them to feel good… But there are things that are more important than these feelings. Things that are more important for the team at a given moment. And I decided that right now, the move was to change up the midfield and put Fede [Valverde] in there.”
A Frustrating Start in Madrid
Real showed how much they wanted him, paying €10 million (£8.33m) for his early release so he’d be available for the Club World Cup rather than arriving free when his Liverpool contract expired. His arrival speech in Spanish — calling the move a “dream come true” — won over supporters instantly.
But his first season fell short: 21 La Liga appearances out of 38 with 14 starts, disrupted by a hamstring problem in September, a thigh injury in December and a pre-season muscle issue. The managerial churn — Xabi Alonso out, Alvaro Arbeloa in — didn’t help either.
Now 28 with a contract running to 2031, Alexander-Arnold’s future hangs in the balance. If Valverde keeps the right-back slot, January could bring one of the transfer window’s biggest stories.
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Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
