Gerrard says what every red is thinking

There are some things you just cannot hide, and Steven Gerrard's feelings about Arsenal missing out on Julian Alvarez are very much in that category. Speaking on TNT Sports after Atletico Madrid's 2-1 Champions League defeat to Liverpool, the Reds icon was asked about the forward's turbulent summer and gave an answer that will have had every Liverpool supporter nodding along at home.

"I'm just glad he didn't go to Arsenal, I'll just leave that one there!" Gerrard said, with the kind of bluntness that only someone who has spent his life living and breathing this rivalry can get away with. It was a moment of pure, unfiltered loyalty, and honestly, fair enough.

The Alvarez saga that gripped the summer

The Argentine's summer was one of the more drawn-out transfer dramas of the window. Alvarez made little secret of his desire to move to Barcelona, but Atletico were never going to strengthen a direct La Liga rival, and that stance effectively kept him at the club. Arsenal, who had also shown interest in Morgan Rogers before he chose Chelsea and made an ambitious move for Vinicius Junior that came to nothing, were among those monitoring the situation closely, yet they too left the window without landing their man.

Liverpool have had their own flirtation with the idea of signing Alvarez, with links emerging ahead of his departure from Manchester City in 2024 and again last year before the club moved for Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak instead. So Gerrard's sentiment is rooted in something real, this is a player the Reds' own fanbase has discussed at length, and the thought of him rocking up at the Emirates Stadium was never going to sit comfortably.

Gerrard full of praise, but raises a concern

For all the fun of his parting shot, Gerrard was genuinely thoughtful about what the transfer saga might mean for Alvarez going forward. The 26-year-old started his first match of the season against Liverpool on Wednesday, assisting Marcos Llorente's opener at Anfield before goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister turned the match around to give Andoni Iraola's side all three points.

"I think he's got the manager's trust and the manager's backing and a goal and a good performance can obviously change a lot of things," Gerrard said. "But it will still be in the back of his head that maybe the chance of his dream move is gone and could be gone forever."

It is a fair and perceptive point. A player of Alvarez's quality, 49 goals in 109 appearances for Atletico, who has been so publicly linked with a move away does not simply switch off those ambitions overnight. Gerrard's admiration for him was clear, though: "He's a top player, very exciting, very clever and it's no shock that he's wanted around the world. He's a goalscorer, he's inventive; I love watching him."

Where Alvarez goes from here

Atletico president Enrique Cerezo attempted to draw a line under the whole episode in the build-up to the Liverpool match, saying: "The Julian case is closed." Though even in doing so, he acknowledged the toll the summer had taken: "It's just that after recent events, the truth is, the person suffers and one is worried but I believe his recovery is progressing well."

Whether Alvarez can fully put the saga behind him and rediscover his best form at Atletico remains to be seen. What is clear is that Liverpool supporters will be watching his situation with more than a passing interest, and if his name crops up in the rumour mill again come January, Gerrard will not be the only one paying close attention.