Fans think they have spotted the ‘real reason’ Trent Alexander-Arnold raised his hand to his ear and mimicked a talking gesture when he scored Liverpool’s fourth goal in the 5-0 away win against West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday.
Alexander-Arnold, 26, put in an impressive performance, registering an assist for Cody Gakpo’s strike in the 40th minute as well as getting on the scoresheet himself.
Despite his fine showing, fans have a theory about what his unusual celebration meant.
They took to X to explain how his ‘talking’ celebration was almost identical to how Jude Bellingham celebrated after scoring in England’s Euro 2024 1-0 group stage victory against Serbia.
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On that occasion, Bellingham, 21, appeared to make a ‘talking’ gesture after he headed home Bukayo Saka’s cross.
Of course, Alexander-Arnold and the midfielder are close friends and have regularly been spotted together but their celebrations may be entirely coincidental.
Social media users were quick to link the similar nature of the celebrations to the fact Real Madrid have been heavily linked with a move for the Liverpool man.
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One said: "Same celebration, different meaning."
Another added: "His heart doesn't belong to Liverpool anymore."
While a third commented: "Literally don’t care. Love it if he stays but if not then whatever, we move on. No player bigger than LFC - especially where we’re at as a club right now. Be daft to want to leave."
A fourth exclaimed: "Stop with this nonsense, I bet you could find at least a dozen more players, past and present, that have made this celebration. We all know what's this about."
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A fifth said: "Bellingham isn't the only player to do that celebration though is he."
Another explained: "Trent has always shown what he feels with his celebrations, most likely he is talking about a contract, either with Liverpool or Madrid."
The Liverpool academy graduate is out of contract at the end of the season and will be free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club when the transfer window opens on January 1, 2025.
On Saturday, Spanish outlet Marca even reported that he has 'made a final decision' regarding his future. The report suggests that Alexander-Arnold has been given first-hand information about what life is like at Madrid by Bellingham.
Topics: Liverpool, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid, Premier League, Football
Luke Davies