WHEN KLOPP DEPARTS, THERE’S A DANGER TRENT MAY GO TOO

LET’S not hear another peep on player welfare from any employee of a Premier League club.

Now Newcastle are out of the FA Cup – looking particularly jaded in their defeat to Manchester City – their season ends when they go to Brentford on Sunday, May 19. Only now, it doesn’t.

After the game at Brentford, Eddie Howe’s (above) squad will jet to Melbourne to play Tottenham at the 100,000-capacity MCG on Wednesday, May 22.

They will then play an A-league all-stars team at the city’s Docklands Stadium on May 24.

Newcastle will be getting paid handsomely, so, presumably, the frontline players will have to go – such as Bruno Guimaraes, who has already made 50 appearances for club and country this season.

He will have a Copa America a month after the Australia games, while several other Toon players will be involved in Euro 2024.

Considering it will be between two sets of uninterested players, it is bizarre someone in Australia is paying big money for the match between Newcastle and Spurs. But clearly, someone is. Considering the profit and sustainability rules, the clubs will welcome the money.

But if anyone from them ever moans about the congested fixture calendar, tell them to stick to counting that cash.

YOUR weekly reminder that, when it comes to having a pop at the Premier League for the profit and sustainability rules (PSR) that are affecting clubs, the Premier League IS the clubs.

They came up with their own rules. There is no overarching body that governs the clubs – they govern themselves.

If the PSR have created a mess, it is a mess of the clubs’ own making.

And hey, being linked with the Bernabeu does Alexanderarnold’s position in any contract negotiations no harm.

Presumably, those negotiations will get under way fairly soon – or at least when the club has completed the overhaul of what Manchester United might describe as its football operation.

With new sporting director Richard Hughes signed up, talks with Alexander-arnold, Salah and Van Dijk are imminent. The latter has the air of someone who will want to grow old with a wonderful club, while noises from Saudi Arabia would suggest Salah might not be averse to mind-boggling money. Not many would, to be fair. What about Alexanderarnold? Surely, Liverpool are in Steven Gerrard territory here?

Trent is there for the rest of his career.

But Liverpool should beware – there are plenty of reasons why Alexander-arnold signing a new deal is not a shoo-in.

Klopp’s exit stage left could well be one of them, although it is hard to imagine Alexanderarnold not wanting to work

WHY Sir Jim Ratcliffe might think Gareth Southgate would be a good fit for his Manchester United football operation has been outlined in this space on a couple of previous occasions.

But let’s get one thing clear. Southgate, having had one short, undistinguished spell as a club manager a decade-and-a-half ago, should still consider himself fortunate if he is offered the job.

A blue-chip club job does not necessarily come up for a departing England manager.

If you count one-game Sam Allardyce as an England boss, he went to Crystal Palace next, as did his national team predecessor Roy Hodgson.

Fabio Capello went to Russia, Steve Mcclaren to FC Twente, Svengoran Eriksson and Kevin Keegan went to a pre-sheikh Mansour Manchester City.

Glenn Hoddle went to Southampton and Terry Venables to Australia and then, Crystal Palace.

Obviously, the subsequent posts for Southgate’s forerunners were reflective of how they had done their national task and the current England manager has done a better job than all of the above.

But it is still a huge leap to go and manage an institution such as Manchester United.

If Southgate gets the offer, he should snap off Sir Jim’s hand. with Xabi Alonso if and when the Spaniard walks back in. Money could be another. Reports say Alexanderarnold currently earns around £180,000 a week – how much of a rise are Liverpool prepared to give him in these days of profit and sustainability?

Will the emergence of another outstanding right-back, Conor Bradley, be a factor?

Alexander-arnold, of course, can be used in midfield, but has not proved himself there to such an extent an incoming boss will be completely sure of his effectiveness in that role.

If Salah does leave, Alexander-arnold might consider Liverpool to have lost a key competitive edge.

And if it is Europe’s most iconic club that comes calling, there is the Real Madrid factor.

We can bang on about the Premier League being the best in the world all we like, but Real

Madrid must be the most attractive club for any elite footballer.

That is why Jude Bellingham is there, that is why Kylian Mbappe is on his way there.

That is why Steve Mcmanaman went there, and Michael Owen.

If Van Dijk and Salah actually decided to run down their current contracts and then go, they would be 34 and 33 and, while still fantastic players, not in their absolute prime.

Alexander-arnold is not 27 until October of next year.

He is in his absolute prime and, of course, he is already a figurehead for the club, a leader, the next captain, a born Red.

But that does not mean he could not be tempted by the white of Real Madrid... and that is why getting Trent to the table and getting out serious money has to be the new Anfield regime’s No.1 priority.