It has felt as though Liverpool fans have had to say goodbye to a different legend every year in recent times.
Slowly but surely, Jurgen Klopp’s super Reds team have departed, leaving only a clutch of players who have been there through it all.
Friday brought news that another of those is likely to depart before the month is out, with Andy Robertson in talks to join Tottenham Hotspur.
mail iconJoin our newsletter for news & smart analysis.
Is Liverpool letting Andy Robertson join Tottenham a mistake? Who could replace the left-back?
Andrew Robertson of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Burnley and Liverpool at Turf Moor
Credit: James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images
👇 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say
Some would argue that ‘Robbo’ has earned the right to leave Liverpool on his own terms, and although there is truth in that, it is hard to shake the feeling that going at this juncture would be a real mistake.
Yes, the Scotland captain wants – and deserves – to play more ahead of this summer’s World Cup, but he is throwing away a poignant Anfield farewell and the potential of further trophies for a spell at Tottenham. If he needs an example of why he should stay and fight for a meagre few months more, he need only look at Jordan Henderson.
Andy Robertson deserves a proper Liverpool goodbye
Recent years have taught us that when Liverpool must say goodbye to a legend, they do it properly. The likes of James Milner, Roberto Firmino, Joel Matip and even Klopp himself have had the treatment of an Anfield farewell.
Sadly, while he truly deserved one more than most, Henderson was never afforded the same, and it was all thanks to a misguided search for more regular minutes.
Liverpool Training Session
Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES
READ MORE: Roma’s stance on letting Kostas Tsimikas return to Liverpool this month revealed
Much like Robertson under Arne Slot, Henderson had fallen down the pecking order. Unable to accept that he was no longer going to be a regular starter, the former captain left out the back door to join Saudi side Al Ettifaq.
The circumstances are a little different to Robertson, but it was jarring and incredibly sad to hear Henderson admit he was scared to come back to Anfield following his untimely exit. He should have felt welcome back at any time having become the first Liverpool captain to win the Premier League, and no doubt he would have felt that had he stayed for a proper goodbye.
Instead, he chose the fast route to playing more football, distancing himself from the club he called home for 12 years. Had he stayed, not only would Henderson have played far more than he’d likely have imagined, he may even have still been part of the squad which won the league under Slot. His contract ran until 2025 after all.
How good has Kerkez been recently?
His display vs Marseille was possibly his best so far
Milos Kerkez strikes the ball during Liverpool's UEFA Champions League match against Marseille at Stade Velodrome (Credit: Getty Images/Jean Catuffe).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Jean Catuffe
👇 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say
For Henderson in 2023, read Robertson in 2026. It is fair to say that the Scot will not regret a move to Tottenham like his former teammate rued his switch to Saudi Arabia but if he asked Henderson, he would no doubt be told of his regret at leaving Liverpool early. He can still avoid making that same mistake.
The way legends leave matters
Saying goodbye in football is always hard, and maybe there is a part of Robertson which is not prepared to stand in front of the Kop for a final time next May.
By leaving early he protects himself from having to bare it all in front of supporters who he has delighted for nine years.
But when he looks back in the years to come, surely he will regret not experiencing all of the ‘lasts’ as a Liverpool player. He is adored by supporters and if they knew his time was coming to an end they would celebrate him at any given opportunity.
Just look at the scenes in the lead up to Firmino’s grand farewell in 2023. Fans sang his name over and over and over again, letting him know just how much his time with the club had meant to them. A bubbly character who has a brilliant rapport with the fans, Robertson would be given similar treatment.
To give that up for the sake of a few months of potentially more regular football feels like a strange and unexpectedly sad way for Robertson to go out. A whole career is surely worth more than couple of dozen matches before a major tournament.
The way legends leave Liverpool matters, it is why supporters are so desperate for Mohamed Salah to stay until the end of the season. For Robertson, he has chosen the Henderson way out. In time, there is no question he will live to regret it and that really, deeply hurts.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox