Andy Robertson has kept Liverpool fans guessing as to whether or not he’ll still be at the club this time next year.
The Scottish left-back is into the final eight months of his current contract, with Graeme Bailey indicating on Monday that talks over a new deal will ‘probably’ commence ‘heading into the New Year’, at which point the 31-year-old will be free to speak with overseas clubs about a potential pre-contract agreement.
The long-serving defender had been playing second fiddle to Milos Kerkez in the early weeks of the season but has been selected by Arne Slot for the Reds’ last three matches.
Robertson speaks out about his contract situation
Robertson has publicly addressed his contract situation at Liverpool, with our number 26 insisting that he’s ‘relaxed’ about what the future holds and giving little away as to how likely he is to extend his stay at Anfield.
He said (via The Independent): “Whatever happens will happen behind closed doors and I’m relaxed about the whole situation. If it is my last year, then it’s my last year. If it’s not, then so be it.
“I think I had a bit of a stressful summer in terms of decisions and things like that and I’ve said to myself to just try and enjoy the next few months; then it will start probably taking over my life. I’ve got no doubt about that. That’s what happens when you go into your last six months. I’m just trying to focus on football now.
“I’m delighted to be back on the pitch, delighted to be back playing the last few games. That’s important and let’s see what happens, but I’m relaxed about the whole thing and the club has been amazing for me.”
Andy Robertson has said that he's 'relaxed' about his contract situation at Liverpool
(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Robertson keeps Liverpool fans guessing
Robertson is more than experienced enough to give a diplomatic, non-committal public answer to questions about contractual matters when the situation is this delicate, so his reply could be interpreted in a couple of ways.
Either he’s been straight-up in saying that the matter will take care of itself in due course, or he’s bracing Liverpool fans for the possibility of an exit if he decides to leave for a fresh challenge elsewhere next summer (as he nearly did for Atletico Madrid earlier this year).
By then he’ll be 32 and have completed nine seasons at Anfield, so nobody could begrudge him the opportunity to try something new if he so wishes, but hopefully he’ll feel that he still has plenty more to give for the Reds.
It should help that Robertson has been restored to the starting XI recently, and if Slot continues to prefer him over Kerkez, the likelihood of the former Hull defender extending his contract would probably increase.
For now, let’s just enjoy having the charismatic Glaswegian in our squad, in case this is to be his final season with us. A player of his quality and personality is worth holding onto for as long as viably possible.
You can watch Slot’s full post-Man City press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube: