(photo: Liverpool FC, https://www.liverpoolfc.com/)
So, we had all these drafting going on in the NFL and sure it was wild. But biggest news today in the sports world is that the Liverpool homegrown soccer star – Trent Alexander-Arnold is leaving Liverpool. After 20 years with the club, the hometown kid is off to join Real Madrid on a free transfer. That’s right — FREE. One of the best right-backs in the world, just walking over to another club (and a rival in the UEFA Champions League). It’s wild… until you understand how the transfer market works in soccer. Sorry — I mean football. (My bad, I’ll stick to “soccer” for the rest of this article… or maybe not. We’ll see.)
Let’s break it down.
In soccer, players are usually under contract, just like any job. If another team wants to sign that player while their contract is still running, they’ve got to pay a transfer fee — basically buying out their contract. These numbers can be huge. When Neymar moved from Barcelona to PSG in 2017, the transfer fee was €222 million. That’s over $320 million CAD (mind you, read it right, not a typo, 320MILLION, not 3.2MILLION). Just to change teams.
In TAA’s case, his contract with Liverpool is expiring. That means Real Madrid doesn’t need to pay a transfer fee — they just negotiate his salary and bonuses. It’s called a free transfer, but don’t get it twisted — he’s reportedly signing a five-year deal worth about £240,000 per week, or over $410,000 CAD/week. So basically Real Madrid is more than willing to pay the player more instead of paying Liverpool a cent. (Rival doesn’t pay a fee to TAA’s old team = no investment money for the old team.) This hurts the loyal fans, players who left to a rival club with a big chunk of money left like a hero, the transfer fee allows the club to rebuild a better team but in this case, you kind of realise how the fans may feel.
(photo: Alphonso Davies, https://canadasoccer.com/)
Let’s take a look at some transfers of Canadian players so you can have a figure in your head. Alphonso Davies, the Canadian superstar, moved from Vancouver Whitecaps to Bayern Munich in 2019 for around $29 million CAD with bonuses. More recently, Canadian forward Jonathan David went from Gent to Lille in 2020 for around $40 million CAD — making him the most expensive Canadian transfer at the time.
Transfers aren’t just about money though — they shift the balance of power in leagues, create drama, and give fans something to argue about all year. Who’s leaving? Who’s staying? Who’s overpaid? Who’s a bargain?
For Liverpool fans, TAA leaving stings. He was “one of our own.” But for football nerds (sorry, last time I swear), it’s a fascinating example of how the transfer system works — loyalty meets business, and in the end, the game moves on.
And so will Trent — likely wearing all white, in the Spanish sun, drumming in crosses to Mbappé and Bellingham. Playing against Liverpool and facing the Reds at Anfield one day. It’s gonna be loud when he returns.