Andy Robertson is said to have maintained a level of “utmost professionalism” after seeing the prospect of a move to Tottenham Hotspur this month reportedly called off by Liverpool.
No sooner had the AI images of Robertson awkwardly stuffed into a Spurs shirt proliferated those dark corners of the internet than news of the deal’s demise emerged.
Tottenham accelerated their approach for the 31-year-old Premier League champion after the severity of Ben Davies’s ankle injury became clear in the middle of last week. A deal worth £5 million ($6.8 million) was floated and it was widely accepted that Robertson may very well have played his last game for Liverpool.
However, the Reds halted talks with Tottenham on Sunday night after finding a lack of suitable alternatives, as first revealed by The Times.
This decision has condemned Robertson to six more months of largely sitting on the sidelines. Milos Kerkez has been Arne Slot’s first-choice left back this season, limiting his Scottish teammate to just four Premier League starts. Robertson’s 14 top-flight appearances this term have come with an average of 39 minutes, comfortably the lowest across his eight-and-a-half-year Anfield career.
The move to north London would have offered Robertson the chance to rack up some more minutes ahead of this summer’s World Cup. There is little danger of Scotland’s skipper missing the tournament, but a season on the bench doesn’t naturally serve as the best preparation for the biggest competition of his career.
Nevertheless, Robertson is said to have never “agitated” for a move, simply opening himself up to the interest raised by Spurs. The Daily Mail claim that the experienced defender has “acted with the utmost professionalism throughout,” which was demonstrated as recently as this weekend.
After a chastening 45 minutes upon his return to Bournemouth, Kerkez was hooked by Slot at half time on Saturday evening. Robertson took his teammate’s place and offered a far more measured display against Álex Jiménez than Kerkez had been able to muster, even if the contest ended in defeat.
Why Liverpool Turned Down Robertson Move
It has been widely reported that Liverpool’s failure to secure a suitable replacement for Robertson lay at the heart of their U-turn this weekend.
Kostas Tsimikas was expected to be called back from his loan spell at Roma to serve as a ready-made stand-in for his former teammate. Roma sporting director Frederic Massara confirmed to DAZN on Sunday that he was “in a dialogue with Liverpool” about such a deal. Yet, The Times report that the Italian outfit were “reluctant” to sanction the exit of their own backup left back.
Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk left little room for doubt in his assessment of Robertson’s future over the weekend. “He’s my vice-captain,” the Dutch defender bluntly pointed out. “Robbo is a very important member of our team and I want him to stay but whatever happens, let’s see.”
Robertson is one of the few fit defenders available to Slot. With Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley out for the season, while Joe Gomez joined the treatment room over the weekend and Ibrahima Konaté is away on compassionate leave, any warm body is welcome, let alone a two-time Premier League winner capable of playing at left back or in the middle.
Liverpool’s Slim Defensive Options
| Player | Position | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Virgil van Dijk | Centre Back | Fit |
| Ibrahima Konaté | Centre Back | Away on Compassionate Leave |
| Giovanni Leoni | Centre Back/Right Back | Injured |
| Joe Gomez | Centre Back/Right Back/Left Back | Injured |
| Milos Kerkez | Left Back | Fit |
| Andy Robertson | Left Back/Centre Back | Fit |
| Jeremie Frimpong | Right Back/Right Winger | Fit |
| Conor Bradley | Right Back | Injured |
What Next for Robertson?
Rather than the end of Robertson’s uncertain future, it has merely been delayed until the summer. Liverpool have shown little sign of handing the soon-to-be-33-year-old a new contract, ushering him towards free agency by July.
In the wake of Scotland’s first World Cup this century, there will surely be a queue of suitors interested in fulfilling Robertson’s public desire to continue playing.
Tottenham are thought to remain interested in the fullback, who had originally been viewed as a free-transfer target for the summer before Davies’s injury forced a change of plans. Davies himself is set to be out of contract in June, potentially opening up a vacant slot for Robertson to fill.
Yet, without any transfer fee to satisfy, Spurs won’t be the only interested party in Robertson. Atlético Madrid have previously been linked with the former Celtic academy hopeful, who was thought to be open to a move abroad when these rumours first surfaced last summer.
Wherever Robertson ends up, he has done his reputation no harm at all by the way he has handled Liverpool’s transfer flip-flip.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Andy Robertson’s Alleged Reaction to Liverpool Transfer U-Turn Revealed.
