Slot's arrival needs to be seen as a new start for him. He's stagnated a bit over the last couple of years.
One of the lads on TAW summed up the situation perfectly. Over the last two years we've been giving him more and more freedom to allow him to express his ability on the ball more, but that hasn't actually improved his own performances or the team's performance. On some occasions he's been excellent, but for the most part it feels like he's forcing everything. He is actually one who would benefit from a manager taking a Guardiola approach - being a bit strict and telling him exactly what he wants from him. He's either a RB or a CM. None of this in-between hybrid stuff that damages our shape so much.
That's why I think we have to try him as a midfielder. It's obvious that he doesn't want to remain a RB in this side, and that he doesn't have the heart for defending that he may have done when he was a young player breaking through and trying to impress. Let's take that defensive responsibility off him, get rid of that vulnerable area that so many teams look to exploit on the right-side of our defence, and get him playing like a proper midfielder. He could go on to be the best in the world in that position, that's how much talent he has.
By the way, if Real Madrid want him then I'm 90% sure he ends up there. Not this summer, but next (and on a free!). He's won the lot with us and has come painfully close to major titles on 4 other occasions, he's 25 and will be committing his best years to his next contract. Klopp's left and out of all the players he seemed particularly upset about his departure. His England team-mate, Bellingham, is being treated as a messiah and is away from the toxic England media scrutinising every performance under the microscope. No doubt he will have Bellingham in his ear all summer talking about how good it is there, because he yaps on about it every time a microphone is put in front of him anyway. Real Madrid are set up to continue their domination for the foreseeable, hoovering up all the finest young talent in Europe every summer and will almost definitely have Xabi Alonso managing them in a year. Taking emotion out of it, a move for Real Madrid for Trent just makes sense rather than starting yet another rebuild. BUT - at Madrid he will only ever be a right-back. We give him the opportunity to be a midfielder over the next season and the odds swing back in our favour.
