Trent Alexander-Arnold’s departure from Liverpool highlights a growing gap between football clubs and their communities. As local heroes vanish from the game, fans are left longing for the deep, personal connection that once made football feel truly local.
Trent’s Big Goodbye: A Day of Mixed Emotions
Red shirts everywhere. Smoke in the air. Songs echoing through the streets. This is Liverpool on the final day of the season, where fans are gathering to celebrate a huge moment—their team lifting the Premier League trophy Trent Alexander.
It should be a day of pure joy, but not everyone feels like celebrating. As fans walk toward Anfield, one small sign near a boarded-up house tells a deeper story. It reads: “MATE OR TRAITOR. Take Ya Pick, Trent.”
Trent Alexander The message is for Trent Alexander-Arnold, a Liverpool local who has been with the club since he was six years old. At 26, he’s won it all with the team. But now, he’s leaving to join Real Madrid.
For some fans, it’s a heartbreak. For others, it’s a betrayal.
More Than Just One Player Leaving
This isn’t only about a talented right-back moving to another big club. It’s about something much bigger identity Trent Alexander
Local players like Trent used to be a strong link between clubs and their communities. They were “one of us.” Now, that feeling is fading Trent Alexander.
Josh Sexton from The Anfield Wrap podcast explains it well:
“When you see someone like Trent, you think, ‘That could be me.’ Even in today’s huge, global football world, he made the game feel close and real.”
But local players like him are becoming rare.
Where Did the Local Players Go?
Let’s look at the numbers. In the first Premier League season back in 1992–93, 379 English players played in the league. In 2024–25, that number dropped to 191.
Even more shocking, only 28 players in the entire league were born within 10 miles of the stadium they represent and played at least 10 games this season. That’s out of 559 total players!
Some teams—like Bournemouth, Forest, Southampton, and Wolves—didn’t play a single local player in the league all season.
Football is changing. And fast.
A Game That’s Gone Global
The shift isn’t just about where the players come from. It’s about the whole system. Only five of the 20 Premier League clubs are owned by English people or businesses. Most are now owned by Americans or other foreign investors.
Only two Premier League managers are English. That shows how much the league has become a global business.
Author and sociologist David Goldblatt says football used to be one of the last things that truly felt “local.” He says:
“Football clubs used to represent local pride, community, and working-class life. That feeling is fading—but the love for local players still holds some of that old magic.”
In the past, people would join a local company or factory and stay for life. Football worked the same way. One player, one club, one community.
But today, those one-club players are almost gone. In fact, only two players in the whole league—Solly March and Lewis Dunk of Brighton—are older than Trent and have played their whole careers at one club.
The End of an Era?
So, when Trent Alexander-Arnold walks onto the pitch for the last time at Anfield, fans will feel joy, sadness, and maybe even anger.
Because this is more than one man leaving a team.
It’s about the fading connection between fans and the game they love. It’s about how football is no longer just about where you’re from—but more about money, business, and fame.
As Trent waves goodbye, he takes with him a piece of what football used to be.
And fans are left asking:
“Will we ever feel that close to a player again?”
