Trent Alexander-Arnold goes from hero to zero for Dream Team managers – transfer speculation poses puzzling problem

WHAT a difference a week makes.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (£6m) was cock of the walk when his 19-point return against West Ham was the best haul among all Dream Team defenders for Gameweek 17.

However, Gameweek 18 is shaping up to be the polar opposite as the Liverpool right-back failed to register a single point against Manchester United on Sunday.

Alexander-Arnold was undoubtedly the hosts’ weak link at Anfield, vulnerable in defence and uncharastically inaccurate in possession, he was booked just prior to his substitution to leave him on zero points.

That the England international’s shaky performance came in the wake of an audacious offer from Real Madrid is probably no coincidence.

Alexander-Arnold’s contract expires at the end of the season with a free transfer to the Spanish giants increasingly likely, though Los Blancos are seemingly prepared to part with cash to make the move happen this month.

It may be that the 26-year-old simply suffered an off-day against the Red Devils but fans and pundits alike have been quick to question his mentality amid speculation over his future.

As a general rule, Dream Team managers shouldn’t overreact to one bad game.

Alexander-Arnold remains the game’s top defender with an impressive total of 168 points to his name, 18 more than his closest rival at the time of writing.

Among defenders, only Antonee Robinson (£4.1m) has provided more assists but Liverpool’s homegrown star leads the way for big chances created, not to mention his tally of 11 clean sheets.

An ownership of 27.7% makes Alexander-Arnold the most popular asset in his position.

However, it’s notable that he’s currently among the top five most transferred-out players ahead of Gameweek 19 – some gaffers have seen enough.

A January switch to Real Madrid would throw a huge spanner in the works, simultaneously making Conor Bradley (£2.9m) a potential mega bargain.

There’s still time for Alexander-Arnold to turn this Gameweek around with the Reds set to face Tottenham in a Carabao Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday night.

It will be very interesting to see how Arne Slot views that match-up in North London in terms of team selection.

If Bradley gets the nod to start then Alexander-Arnold’s ownership will surely drop further.

For many, the bulk of this talk will be premature and/or nonsensical.

Alexander-Arnold’s average of seven points-per-game is the headline here, not one rare mishap.

Even accounting for his goose egg against Man United, he’s still among the game’s most in-form defenders, such was the impressive nature of his previous returns.

The best case scenario is that Liverpool commit to retaining their first-choice right-back for the remainder of the campaign and Slot is able to refocus one of his most important cogs.

Given Liverpool are one of just three teams (Arsenal and Spurs being the other two) with eight fixtures to fulfil between Gameweeks 19 and 22, gaffers should be extremely reluctant to ditch their Anfield residents.

That being said, the Alexander-Arnold situation is one to monitor closely.