Top seed faces another teenage prodigy in Jovic at Melbourne Park on Tuesday
Is it time for Liverpool to let Robertson go?
Player’s proposed move to Tottenham may make sense on paper, but his value to the Reds goes far beyond minutes and money, JAMES NALTON discusses
Liverpool's Andy Robertson, December 20, 2025
ON THE face of it, Andy Robertson’s proposed transfer from Liverpool to Tottenham Hotspur makes sense for all parties.
Robertson will be seeking more minutes than he has been getting at Liverpool in order to ensure match sharpness going into the World Cup. Arne Slot now favours summer signing Milos Kerkez as his first choice in the role, with Robertson relegated to backup.
Spurs, meanwhile, are looking to add some grit and experience to their defence, and to their team more generally, and Liverpool might be open to a fee for a 31-year-old player they would lose on a free in the summer anyway.
It could well turn out to be this straightforward, with all parties getting their desired outcome, but, for Liverpool especially, it might be worth pausing and considering what this transfer would mean beyond the financial and the qualitative.
Robertson’s quality has still been evident as he hit his 30s. The physical toll of the performances he gave in Klopp’s heavy metal Liverpool team has started to show, but there has still been an assuredness from him under Slot.
Even when he hasn’t been in the best of form, it still felt like he was more reliable than other options at the left-back position.
One of Liverpool’s raft of new signings in the summer came in Robertson’s position in the shape of 22-year-old Hungarian Kerkez, who arrived after showing what he can do down the left in the Premier League with Bournemouth.
Like a few of their summer signings, Kerkez experienced a difficult start to life at Liverpool in a team that was no longer firing on all cylinders, meaning that for a time, Robertson was still required to steady the ship. It’s a testament to his endurance that it still felt like he was able to perform such a role.
At their best in previous years, Liverpool had numerous players within the squad who could be considered captains. Jordan Henderson wore the armband, but Virgil van Dijk, Alisson, and Mohamed Salah were all team leaders in their own ways. Roberto Firmino’s character was important in tying the various personalities together, as was Joel Matip’s, while Sadio Mane recently demonstrated his own leadership by saving the Afcon final from even more chaos.
Robertson was also a key part of this group, and with the likes of Henderson, Firmino, Matip, and Mane gone, he has played an important part in the transition from Klopp’s Liverpool to the next iteration of the club, playing close to 2,500 league minutes in the title-winning 2024/25 season.
Robertson still brings those intangibles that are not recorded by fantasy football games or stats websites. His departure would mean another player from the Klopp era is gone, and the transition to a new era becomes more abrupt.
Maybe it will be OK for the likes of Alisson, Van Dijk, and Salah to make sure the lessons from one of Liverpool’s greatest ever teams can be passed on, but losing Robertson might be more of a risk than it first appears.
At club level, Robertson’s leadership and experience is also very specific to Liverpool due to the length of time he has been with the club (over eight years), his success there, and the fact he was part of one of their best-ever teams.
Similar could be said of Robertson’s leadership qualities with Scotland, with him having represented his nation for the best part of 12 years now.
Would these leadership qualities, ingrained over years with Liverpool and Scotland, transfer automatically to a new dressing room with Spurs? There’s no guarantee that they would.
Robertson would, of course, bring his attitude and work rate to the team, and there would be elements of leadership about his game on the pitch, but these intangibles of experience are much more evident and valuable to Liverpool, where this experience has been gained, than they would be to Spurs.
Kerkez recently summed up Robertson’s importance to Liverpool, saying ahead of the recent Champions League clash with Marseille: “Robbo is a legend here, a big player.
“He did a lot for the club, winning trophies. For me, it is a privilege to be next to such a player in the team.
“I am just taking it in, I’m learning, I’m listening always, and I want to improve.”
Robertson came on for Kerkez at halftime in Liverpool’s defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday, with Slot citing Kerkez’s midweek workload as the reason for the sub. If not for the possible transfer to Spurs, maybe Robertson would have started the game, which would have made more sense if Kerkez did need a rest.
Meanwhile, Spurs’ flaky season continued on Saturday when they drew at Burnley, with only a late equaliser preventing another defeat. It would seem they need more on-field leadership and stability, which Robertson could provide.
Tottenham’s decision to sign a player of this age can be questioned, and from the same perspective, Liverpool’s decision to let such an integral part of the fabric of the club leave midway through a season of difficult transition post-Klopp can also be questioned.
Robertson will be seeking more minutes than he has been getting at Liverpool in order to ensure match sharpness going into the World Cup. Arne Slot now favours summer signing Milos Kerkez as his first choice in the role, with Robertson relegated to backup.
Spurs, meanwhile, are looking to add some grit and experience to their defence, and to their team more generally, and Liverpool might be open to a fee for a 31-year-old player they would lose on a free in the summer anyway.
It could well turn out to be this straightforward, with all parties getting their desired outcome, but, for Liverpool especially, it might be worth pausing and considering what this transfer would mean beyond the financial and the qualitative.
Robertson’s quality has still been evident as he hit his 30s. The physical toll of the performances he gave in Klopp’s heavy metal Liverpool team has started to show, but there has still been an assuredness from him under Slot.
Even when he hasn’t been in the best of form, it still felt like he was more reliable than other options at the left-back position.
One of Liverpool’s raft of new signings in the summer came in Robertson’s position in the shape of 22-year-old Hungarian Kerkez, who arrived after showing what he can do down the left in the Premier League with Bournemouth.
Like a few of their summer signings, Kerkez experienced a difficult start to life at Liverpool in a team that was no longer firing on all cylinders, meaning that for a time, Robertson was still required to steady the ship. It’s a testament to his endurance that it still felt like he was able to perform such a role.
At their best in previous years, Liverpool had numerous players within the squad who could be considered captains. Jordan Henderson wore the armband, but Virgil van Dijk, Alisson, and Mohamed Salah were all team leaders in their own ways. Roberto Firmino’s character was important in tying the various personalities together, as was Joel Matip’s, while Sadio Mane recently demonstrated his own leadership by saving the Afcon final from even more chaos.
Robertson was also a key part of this group, and with the likes of Henderson, Firmino, Matip, and Mane gone, he has played an important part in the transition from Klopp’s Liverpool to the next iteration of the club, playing close to 2,500 league minutes in the title-winning 2024/25 season.
Robertson still brings those intangibles that are not recorded by fantasy football games or stats websites. His departure would mean another player from the Klopp era is gone, and the transition to a new era becomes more abrupt.
Maybe it will be OK for the likes of Alisson, Van Dijk, and Salah to make sure the lessons from one of Liverpool’s greatest ever teams can be passed on, but losing Robertson might be more of a risk than it first appears.
At club level, Robertson’s leadership and experience is also very specific to Liverpool due to the length of time he has been with the club (over eight years), his success there, and the fact he was part of one of their best-ever teams.
Similar could be said of Robertson’s leadership qualities with Scotland, with him having represented his nation for the best part of 12 years now.
Would these leadership qualities, ingrained over years with Liverpool and Scotland, transfer automatically to a new dressing room with Spurs? There’s no guarantee that they would.
Robertson would, of course, bring his attitude and work rate to the team, and there would be elements of leadership about his game on the pitch, but these intangibles of experience are much more evident and valuable to Liverpool, where this experience has been gained, than they would be to Spurs.
Kerkez recently summed up Robertson’s importance to Liverpool, saying ahead of the recent Champions League clash with Marseille: “Robbo is a legend here, a big player.
“He did a lot for the club, winning trophies. For me, it is a privilege to be next to such a player in the team.
“I am just taking it in, I’m learning, I’m listening always, and I want to improve.”
Robertson came on for Kerkez at halftime in Liverpool’s defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday, with Slot citing Kerkez’s midweek workload as the reason for the sub. If not for the possible transfer to Spurs, maybe Robertson would have started the game, which would have made more sense if Kerkez did need a rest.
Meanwhile, Spurs’ flaky season continued on Saturday when they drew at Burnley, with only a late equaliser preventing another defeat. It would seem they need more on-field leadership and stability, which Robertson could provide.
Tottenham’s decision to sign a player of this age can be questioned, and from the same perspective, Liverpool’s decision to let such an integral part of the fabric of the club leave midway through a season of difficult transition post-Klopp can also be questioned.
For Robertson, the minutes he is getting here and there at Liverpool could even be better than playing every minute for a struggling Spurs and potentially being fatigued by the time the World Cup comes around.
Though this transfer could go to plan, with each of the required outcomes falling into place, everyone involved might want to take a step back and consider their options.
