Revealed: The two examples that show why Arne Slot will NOT be rocked by Trent Alexander-Arnold's Real Madrid transfer saga, writes DOMINIC KING
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The striker at the heart of a contract impasse presented himself to Arne Slot at a delicate moment and made clear his impatience. There were, he told his manager, many suitors around Europe that wanted to take him away and give him the platform – and the financial rewards – he believed he deserved. Such conversations can destabilise a football team and unsettle its figurehead but Slot listened and took it all in his stride.
![[Trent Alexander-Arnold is been pursued by Spanish giants Real Madrid in the January window]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/06/19/93800501-14256405-image-a-26_1736193456569.jpg)
Slot may come across as a 'Steady Eddie', someone whose words don't tend to play a headline writer's wishes, but behind-the-scenes, in the sanctuary of the dressing room, he knows what to say and when to deliver it. On this occasion, his message was crystal clear.
![[However, the situation in Merseyside will not hold any terrors for the Dutch manager]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/06/19/93800477-14256405-image-a-25_1736193417488.jpg)
'All what you say to me can be resolved in the future – the clubs who want you will always be there,' he told his main source of goals. 'But now? Now we have trophies to win.'. No, this was not a snapshot from a scene at Liverpool's AXA training base and heart-to-heart involving Mo Salah but the synopsis of an issue Slot faced with Santiago Gimenez, the Mexican firecracker who had been an integral part of Feyenoord's 2022-23 Eredivisie-winning squad.
![[Slot found himself in a similar situation back at Feyenoord with striker Santiago Gimenez]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/06/19/93800561-14256405-image-a-27_1736193468384.jpg)
Before the start of last season, Gimenez was becoming restless but Slot couldn't afford to lose him, not if he wanted to achieve his aims for the team. So a resolution was found: Gimenez had been convinced, signed a contract extension and Feyenoord duly won the KNVB Cup in April.
![[Certain players will appreciate what Alexander-Arnold is going through as he looks to leave]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/06/19/93800503-14256405-image-a-28_1736193480804.jpg)
