Adidas have given Liverpool major breakthrough in Trent Alexander-Arnold talks - Kieran Maguire view
Breakthrough. ????
To lose a player of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s calibre would be a blow for any club, in any situation. But it would sting even more for Liverpool given the emotional bond he has formed with supporters.
Alexander-Arnold, who is coveted by Real Madrid and has just over six months remaining on his contract, has been with Liverpool since the age of six.
But from 1 January 2025, the right-back will be free to negotiate pre-contract terms with overseas clubs. And that could herald the end of his 26 years on Merseyside.
Unfortunately, his situation is not unique Anfield. Two more bona fide legends in Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk are also in the same boat.
The negotiation style of Fenway Sports Group (FSG) is highly calculated, based on the minutiae of the data and, significantly, the finances.
There have been a number of fresh developments on that latter front in recent weeks, and TBR Football sat down Liverpool University football finance lecturer and Price of Football author to explore the details.
Could Adidas deal be the catalyst for Alexander-Arnold to sign a new deal?
Since 2023, Alexander-Arnold has been an Adidas athlete, having signed a deal reportedly worth an eye-watering £26m.
However, that sum is dwarfed by the sum that the German sportswear brand are set to pay Liverpool to revive their iconic partnership.
Liverpool are set to ditch Nike in favour of Adidas, who will pay £600m over 10 years for the rights to produce and distribute their merchandise.
Alexander-Arnold’s salary is roughly one-hundredth of that sum. And although the England international wants a pay rise, any bump would be offset dozens of times over by the Adidas deal.
“FSG are one of the best if not the best forensic, analytical football clubs in the world when it comes to their budget,” said Maguire.
“They have spent an awful lot of time on the detail of this contract with Adidas.
“Liverpool have got targets in terms of A) player retention and B) player recruitment. They are in negotiations with Trent Alexander-Arnold at present. He is one of the best players in Europe in his position.
“This deal gives them greater certainty in terms of money coming into the club. They can therefore negotiate with more certainty in their wage budget.
“They want to secure Alexander-Arnold on a long-term deal and this would help them.
“It would be interesting to see what the penalty clauses are with this deal. We know Man United got a £10m penalty clause when they failed to qualify for the Champions League.
“I would imagine that Liverpool would be tough but fair negotiators. Adidas know they have a hugely iconic football club that is popular in both domestic and international markets.”
How Klopp’s Red Bull switch will be received within Liverpool
Elsewhere on Planet Liverpool, Maguire has given his verdict on Jurgen Klopp‘s controversial decisio nto join the Red Bull network as their global head of football, despite having previously voiced his disdain for the multi-cub model.
“Jurgen Klopp is a very intelligent man. He will have assessed football in 2024 and, with a heavy heart, has acknowledged that if you can’t beat them, you have to join them.
“He is a very conscionable man. It wasn’t just the emotions of players he was dealing with at Liverpool, it was the emotions of millions of fans around the world. This role will be less in the firing line than that.
“He has an amazing transferrable skillset that he can bring to Red Bull. His role will be partly ambassadorial. He is a fantastic signing for them.
“But there is also the get-out clause that he can go and manage the German national. For any proud German, there can be no higher accolade.
“Whether he has read the tea leaves in terms of the militant and organised nature of German Bundesliga football is open to question.
“After all, Red Bull are the pantomime villain of German football. They are loathed for what fans of other clubs consider to be the 50+1 rule.“
FSG’s vision explained as they distance themselves from £10bn deal
When FSG bought Liverpool in 2010, they paid just £300m.
If they were to sell tomorrow, they would likely get around 10 times that amount in return.
What’s more, the only cash they have put into the club in that time has been interest-free loans, which they will eventually get back.
However, even a £3bn sale price would be pocket change compared with the price that they were reportedly ready to pay for the Boston Celtics, the NBA outfit in FSG’s home town.
But John Henry and his peers in the FSG boardroom have since distanced themselves from those stories, saying they have their hands full at present.
With FSG close to owning the set in terms of US sports franchises, as well as a huge property portfolio and assets in other sports, why would they elect not to pursue the Celtics?
“My assessment of the FSG position is that if they needed to borrow £10bn, they could borrow £10bn.
“Their credit rating is sky high. They have a very good reputation in capital markets because of the careful way they manage their portfolio of sports investments.
“So they could access their own funds and third-party funds. There are many organisations that would happily lend them money and therefore they could quite easily acquire the Celtics if they thought the price was right.
“Remember, they bought Liverpool for £300m. That looks like one of the bargains of the century.
“They might think the market in American franchise sports has become top-heavy. If they bide their time, prices might come down a bit.”
What's Your Reaction?
