Glen Johnson: ‘Liverpool should cash in on Trent Alexander-Arnold in January rather than letting him leaving on a free’

The rumours linking Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold with a move to Champions League holders Real Madrid continue to generate at speed. The England international’s contract at Anfield expires this summer and the club’s former right-back Glen Johnson believes Liverpool should cash in on Alexander-Arnold in January rather than lose him for nothing with the expiry of his contract. In an exclusive interview with Betfred, Johnson tells us what’s impressed him most about Arne Slot, why he’s backing Chelsea for a top four finish this season and how Manchester United have “missed the boat” by not appointing new Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel.

After their win against Chelsea on Sunday, are Liverpool now the favourites to win the Premier League title in your opinion?

“I think it’s still pretty much a three horse race but in terms of consistency, Liverpool keep ticking along and finding a way to win. Those victories can mean a lot at the end of the season. It’s still too hard to pick a favourite, but Liverpool are proving to be the most consistent at the moment.”

Are there any noticeable differences you see between Arne Slot and Jürgen Klopp, and is there anything you believe Slot is better at than Klopp?

“It’s still early days, so it’s hard to tell. The most impressive thing about Slot is that it would be quite easy to walk into a job like that, get carried away and change too much too soon. He hasn’t done that or walked in with a big ego and demanded that he does things his way. It’s as if he’s tweaking what he’s already got, which is very intelligent of him and I’m sure in a few years that he’ll shape the squad exactly how he wants it. He’s not turned up like a grenade and changed everything on day one. That’s the most impressive thing he’s done and it’s probably why they’re hitting it off so early.”

We’ve previously asked you about who you believe will stay or go out of the soon to be out-of-contract trio of Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk, but in your opinion, who out of the three is the most irreplaceable and who’s the least?

“It’s a tough one as they’re all such good players, but if I could keep just one, I’d probably keep Van Dijk. Those top centre-backs are so hard to come by. The one I’d let go would be Trent, which is crazy to say because he’s world-class, but that’s only due to his position. World-class centre-backs and forwards are harder to come by, but there are a few more good full-backs and midfielders. I wouldn’t want to lose any of them but if I had to keep one, it would be Van Dijk.”

Do you believe Liverpool already have a long-term replacement for Trent in their ranks with Conor Bradley?

“Yes. He’s been around for a bit now and he’s got as much gametime as he’d have probably wanted up to now. When he’s played, he’s looked very capable of playing at that level. He needs to do it more regularly and consistently but from what we’ve seen of him so far, he looks fantastic.”

If Real Madrid make a cash offer for Trent in January, do you believe Liverpool need to accept it, if it’s reasonable, rather than lose him on a free at the end of the season?

“Yes, absolutely. They’d have been having talks that we’re not aware of for sure, because you can’t allow players to get so far into their contract when they’re so valuable. It would be a complete head loss to let him go for free. Nobody wants to see him leave, but you may as well cash in because they know something’s going on already. 

“I don’t know if Trent wants to leave or the club are happy for him to leave, but it would be stupid for Liverpool to not cash in if he is going to leave when his contract expires.”

How much would Trent leaving midseason impact Liverpool’s Premier League title prospects?

“You never want to lose your best players, but I don’t know if it would make much of a difference to Liverpool if he leaves in January or at the end of the season, if he was planning to leave the club. It would have an impact overall because you never want to see your best players go and you don’t want to let them go easily.”

With Trent being tipped to join Real Madrid in the summer. Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong is being touted as a potential replacement. Do you believe the Dutch international would be an exciting signing for your former club?

“Top teams need full-backs that can get forward, join in attacks and even score goals. Top teams need these players because they have the ball 75% of the time, so it’s now equally as important for full-backs to be good on the ball as they are defensively. There’s a reason why so many top teams have been linked with Frimpong.”

Do you believe Caoimhin Kelleher’s very capable of aiding Liverpool’s title bid in Alisson Becker’s absence?

“Being a second choice goalkeeper is one of the hardest roles because you don’t play regularly. Fair play to him that he’s always waiting and always patient because when he deputises for Alisson, he steps up to the mark. That tells us that he’s a fantastic professional because there’s not a lot of players that can do what he does. Alisson is obviously a big miss, but there aren’t many numbers twos better than Kelleher.”

Do you believe Ibrahima Konaté will one day reach the same level of ability as Virgil van Dijk?

“It’s difficult to compare anybody to Van Dijk, but could he be one of the best? Absolutely. He’s got every attribute that you need and he’s put in some world-class performances and brilliant centre-backs are hard to come by.”

Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo has had an impressive start to the Premier League season and is reportedly of interest to Arsenal, Liverpool, Newcastle United and Tottenham. Do you believe Antoine is set to play for one of the Premier League’s biggest clubs?

“Players with that amount of flair and confidence don’t come around often. He’s got a few goals and assists already this season for Bournemouth, so absolutely he can play at a higher level. Players raise their game a level when they’re playing with better players, so it wouldn’t surprise me if one of the big clubs snaps him up soon.” 

Aston Villa and Liverpool are both said to be interested in Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo. Is he another player that you believe is destined to play for a top Premier League club?

“Yes, if he can keep on doing what he’s doing currently over a longer period of time. If he continues to perform like this and contribute with goals regularly, then there will be a long list of clubs looking to sign him. Scoring goals is the hardest thing to do in the game, so when there’s a player that looks like they can do it easily, they’re going to attract attention from all the big guns.”

With William Saliba out suspended for Arsenal against Liverpool on Sunday, how much does his absence boost your former club’s chances of victory this weekend?

“It’s obviously going to be tough for Arsenal because if you want to take down the big guns, you need to have your best players available, but that’s not me saying it’s going to be easy for Liverpool. It’s two giants going at it and I can’t even guess what the result’s going to be. Beating one of the best teams away from home is going to be tough, but Liverpool have been very consistent, so it’s going to be a challenge for both sides.”

After their defeat on Sunday, are you still confident that Chelsea will finish in the Premier League’s top four this season?

“I’m going to remain loyal and say Chelsea. I still believe that they have a lot more to give. Aston Villa have been consistently good for the last few years, so they’re not going to go anywhere, but as long as Chelsea finish ahead of them, they should end up in the top four.”

Do you believe Manchester United and Tottenham are out of the running for fourth?

“I wouldn’t say that they don’t have a chance because they’re two fantastic sides with fantastic players, but they’re both just waiting for the penny to drop. They’re both capable of anything. If both of them won 3-0 next week, I wouldn’t be surprised, and if they both lost 3-0 next week, I wouldn’t be surprised. If the penny drops with both of them, then they’ll both be in the race to finish in the top four.”

Where does Cole Palmer rank for you out of all Premier League players? Do you believe he is one of the best, if not the best, in the league?

“We’re lucky that there’s a lot of world-class players in the Premier League, but everybody would want Cole in their team. I don’t think there are many better players going forward at the moment than Cole.”

Do you believe Cole’s best position is out on the right-wing or in that number ten role for Chelsea?

“I think his best position is in that number ten role. He can wander around, find gaps and get on the ball in dangerous areas. He needs to be the focal point, right in the middle because it allows him to be as dangerous as possible. He’s a lot more dangerous in that role.”

What do you believe is the weakest area of this current Chelsea team?

“I’d say the core, the spine of the team. I’m not saying individuals, but any top team has a solid core. Chelsea don’t seem to have a strong one, but they’ve got players that can do it, they just don’t do it often enough. [Levi] Colwill’s obviously a fantastic player and Reece James is too, but he’s injured often. The spine of the team is the problem and they’re weakest through the middle.”

Do you believe Pedro Neto will eventually replace Jadon Sancho on Chelsea’s left-wing after the former Manchester United man was taken off at half-time against Liverpool?

“Neto’s a fantastic player and when he finds his form and gets some regular gametime, then of course he could occupy that position because there was a reason why Chelsea bought him for a lot of money. Sancho is a player that needs to be happy because nobody can question his ability, so it’s good to watch him bouncing back. He needs to be more consistent, but it’s a fantastic problem for Chelsea to have because having those two happy, in form and playing for the same spot means that the club is doing something right.” 

Are you surprised that Christopher Nkunku doesn’t start more regularly for Chelsea?

“I think it’s only down to the fact that he’s not been fit. He’s a great player and a player they need. They need a striker that’s a focal point of the team and he’s capable of doing that. I imagine he’s not played as regularly because he’s not fully match-fit. I don’t believe his ability is the issue.”

Gossip columns are suggesting that Chelsea still want to sign Victor Osimhen in January, with the Nigeria international having a break-clause in his loan agreement with Galatasaray. Do you believe this move will happen and considering the form of Nicolas Jackson, do you believe Chelsea are still desperately in need of adding another striker to their ranks?

“I like Jackson a lot but as I’ve said previously, I don’t know if he’s the type of forward that’s going to get you 15 to 20 goals a season. Osimhen going on loan to Galatasaray was crazy when you consider all the interest in him in the summer. Considering that he is available, then I do believe that Chelsea need to get him. Signing Osimhen could even push Jackson to improve because he will have to fight for his place. It would be crazy for Chelsea to not try and sign Victor Osimhen.”

Should Chelsea’s priority signing be a new goalkeeper? Do you believe Robert Sánchez is good enough to be your former club’s number one in the long-term?

“I think Sánchez is good enough. I wouldn’t say he’s a negative in this Chelsea side, but I also wouldn’t say that he’s the best goalkeeper in the league. He’s a very good goalkeeper that’s very capable and very good teams should be keeping the ball most of the time, so if Chelsea were doing things right, then we shouldn’t even be talking about the goalkeeper. I definitely believe he’s good enough to play for a top Premier League club like Chelsea.”

Are you shocked that Erik ten Hag is still in charge at Manchester United? Did you expect him to leave during the international break?

“I’m surprised by how slow things are going at Manchester United. It’s a fantastic club with fantastic players, but it’s a very strange job at the moment for a manager. If they sack Ten Hag, then what would they do? People will still want the job, but it’s a very difficult one to do. With that being said, I’m not surprised that Erik ten Hag is still there. I think they should stick with him, give him more time and see what happens with the team over the next few months. If things don’t turn around soon, then I doubt he will be there next season.”

Do you believe Manchester United should have fought to get Thomas Tuchel before he got the England job and are you excited by the ex-Chelsea manager’s appointment as England boss?

“I’m over the moon that he’s the manager of England. We have a fantastic squad and now we have a fantastic manager. The boys are going to love working for him and I’d be surprised if he doesn’t get the best out of this squad. 

“I do believe Manchester United have missed the boat by not appointing him sooner and I feel bad saying that when there’s a manager already in the job, but these top managers don’t come around often and the Manchester United job is a tricky one that requires a certain character that can turn that around.”

Which Premier League signing over the summer do you believe looks the best so far?

“He’s not looked the best so far, but I do believe that Pedro Neto was the best signing of the summer. I’m looking forward to seeing him get into top gear. He has a huge reputation and was signed for a lot of money. We’ve already seen what he’s capable of doing when he was at Wolves, but now we need to wait and see if he can do it for a top team.”