Jamie Carragher has revealed he would welcome Trent Alexander-Arnold back to Liverpool, while John Aldridge has advised Andoni Iraola to learn from Arne Slot's Carabao Cup team selection mistake. The comments come as Liverpool prepare to face Chelsea in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, aiming to extend their record 11th title in the competition.
The Reds entered the top four of the Premier League for the first time this season after a 2-0 home win over Brighton. That result gave Iraola's side back-to-back league victories following a 2-1 win over Brentford a week earlier. Brighton's recent turnaround in form under the 43-year-old has led to speculation linking them with a move for their former academy graduate, Alexander-Arnold.
Carragher's verdict on Alexander-Arnold
Speaking on The Overlap, Carragher said he would take the 28-year-old back to Anfield. Alexander-Arnold has struggled since his £10million move to Real Madrid last summer, making only three league starts this season and falling to third in the right-back pecking order behind Denzel Dumfries and Federico Valverde.
Carragher said: "I'd have him back. Give him plenty of stick, [because] I think he made a mistake. I think he made a big mistake. But, as I said, if something benefits Liverpool Football Club going forward."
"And when you think of the problems Liverpool have in terms of the right-back. Ronnie (Ronald Araujo) has been fantastic, but we do have a problem in terms of full-backs passing. We've definitely missed his creativity."
Aldridge's warning to Iraola
Aldridge has urged Iraola to resist making wholesale changes for the Chelsea clash, citing Slot's decision in Liverpool's fourth-round defeat to Crystal Palace last season. In October 2025, Slot fielded eight teenagers, with three starting, in a much-changed side that lost 3-0 at Anfield to the Eagles.
Writing in his column for the Liverpool Echo, Aldridge said: "We can’t do that with Chelsea because they’re out of Europe. They need the cup, they need it, and they will come to Anfield and play their strongest side."
"We’ve got to match them and it’s going to be tough. I’ll tell you what, it’s tough for the manager because we’ve got injuries and you want to keep the players fresh for the league and for Europe. I don’t envy the manager, but we do want a cup run and you win this game and you’re in the quarter-finals, so it’s a tough one. It really is a tough one."
