Courtois ‘doesn’t want’ Alexander-Arnold to play for Real Madrid – ‘it’s like having ten players’

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·26 février 2026

Courtois ‘doesn’t want’ Alexander-Arnold to play for Real Madrid – ‘it’s like having ten players’

According to reports, Real Madrid star Thibaut Courtois has explained why he ‘doesn’t want’ Trent Alexander-Arnold to play for the club.

The 2025/26 campaign has been another troublesome season for Real Madrid, who could go a second straight term without a trophy.

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Real Madrid have already failed in the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup, but they have advanced to the Champions League knockout stages. They are also second to FC Barcelona in La Liga.

The Spanish giants are one of the toughest clubs in Europe to manage as the man in the dugout has very little control, with this contributing to Xabi Alonso’s speedy downfall this season.

New boss Alvaro Arbeloa has not fared much better than Alonso, though there has been agenda-driven speculation in the Spanish media about alleged dressing room conflicts this season.

Several top Real Madrid players have been named as potential behind-the-scenes protagonists, with England stars Jude Bellingham and Alexander-Arnold often berated by the press to garner clicks.

Bellingham and Alexander-Arnold, like Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, are presumably at the forefront as they are big-name attractions and there is an obsession with how they conduct themselves.

Controversy sells, and the Spanish media likes us to think that Real Madrid’s squad want to banish Bellingham and Alexander-Arnold, though this is unlikely to actually be the case.

Former Chelsea star Courtois, potentially due to his past affiliation with the Premier League, is often unfairly dragged into this furore as he has reportedly told ‘disobeying’ Bellingham to ‘change’ his attitude.

And now, a new report from Spain claims Courtois is not sold on Alexander-Arnold.

It is claimed that the goalkeeper ‘doesn’t want’ to the former Liverpool star to ‘continue playing for Real Madrid’ as his defensive work is a ‘serious drawback’, with it noted that he ‘takes away more than he adds’ and ‘it’s like having ten players’ when he is on the pitch.

The report explains:

‘Thibaut Courtois, one of the most respected voices in the dressing room, isn’t entirely convinced about Trent Alexander-Arnold’s place as the starting right-back. The Belgian goalkeeper believes that the English full-back’s defensive impact is causing more problems than anticipated, and that’s a serious drawback. ‘While no one disputes his quality on the ball or his ability to create play from the wing, there’s a feeling within the team that the balance suffers when the Englishman plays at full-back. For Courtois, the debate isn’t about the player’s attacking talent, but rather what happens when the team has to defend under the most demanding circumstances.’