Gunners up next for champions LFC as departure announced

There are just three games remaining as Premier League champions Liverpool FC welcome Arsenal FC to Anfield on Sunday.

Having sealed their 20th league title, Liverpool Football Club are preparing to say goodbye to Trent Alexander-Arnold over the final three Premier League games of the season.

The 26-year-old full-back revealed on Monday that he will leave the club he first joined as a six-year-old at the end of the campaign.

Alexander-Arnold feels that it’s time to test himself away from Anfield, and a club where he has secured two Premier League titles, a UEFA Champions League and an FA Cup among a number of other honours since making his first team debut in October 2016.

“I want to say it’s not an easy decision and there’s a lot of thought and feeling that has gone into it,” the No.66 explained.

“I’ve been here 20 years now, loved every single minute of it, achieved all my dreams, achieved everything I’ve ever wanted to here.

“Giving everything day in, day out for 20 years, I’ve got to a point now where I feel like I need a new change, a new challenge for me as a player and as a person. And I think now is the right time for me to do that.”

Addressing the Liverpool supporters directly, he added: “There’s a lot I would like to say. The main thing is a massive thank you. You guys have been there from the start with me, you guys have supported me, been there.

“I’ve felt the support, the love, everything that you guys have done has never been unnoticed by me, I’ve loved every single minute of it. I hope they have felt that has been reciprocated and that I’ve given everything I could to the club.

“I’m just hoping that we’re able to carry on winning games, the noise [around my decision] doesn’t take away from the fact of what we’ve achieved this season.

“It has been an amazing season. It has been amazing to be part of it and I just hope that everyone is able to maybe not dwell on this news for too long and be able to celebrate what the rest of the lads have done.”

Arne Slot’s side go into Sunday's game on the back of a rare defeat in the Premier League, losing 3-1 to Chelsea FC at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

The club’s head coach does not believe that having already secured the title played a big part in Sunday’s result, citing plenty of positives despite the scoreline, but he did reflect on certain moments that cost LFC the three points.

“In general, [it was] a good performance, but the final percentages weren't there to win this game of football,” said the boss.

“[In] the lead-up to both goals a player of ours slipped. Would it have happened as well if the game was on the line? Yes or no, we will never know - but the margins are small in the Premier League, especially if you play a team like Chelsea with so many quality players, then you cannot afford these kind of moments.”

Captain Virgil van Dijk, meanwhile, didn’t mince his words after the game.

“Any defeat hurts,” he insisted.

“We are representing Liverpool everywhere we go. We are very fortunate and not lucky but blessed that we didn’t lose that many games, especially in the league, so this hurts. And it should hurt, in my opinion.

“Even when the job is done we came here to try to win the game and try to get a good result. Unfortunately, we didn’t. So, like I said, it has to hurt. We are all winners and I’m definitely disappointed.”

Finally, the attention now turns to Arsenal FC and the first game at Anfield since those incredible, historic scenes before, during and after the 5-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur FC that confirmed Slot’s men as champions for the 20th time.

One of the biggest moments of that day came when Alexis Mac Allister smashed home a brilliant strike to make it 2-1, and now the Argentine midfielder is in contention to win the PFA Premier League Fans' Player of the Month award for April.

The midfielder was a key figure in the month Liverpool clinched the title, starting all five matches, scoring two brilliant goals and registering an assist.

Mac Allister joins Jacob Murphy (Newcastle United), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Jorgen Strand Larsen (Wolverhampton Wanderers) and Leandro Trossard (Arsenal) on the shortlist for the PFA prize.

You can cast a vote for him to win here.