Andy Robertson has transfer interest from Tottenham but Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk wants him to stay after another 'tough' result, this time against Bournemouth
12:00, 25 Jan 2026Updated 12:04, 25 Jan 2026
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk during the Premier League game against Bournemouth
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk during the Premier League game against Bournemouth(Image: Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk wants Andy Robertson to stay at Anfield amid interest from Tottenham, with talks having been held between the clubs about a potential winter transfer.
Robertson replaced Milos Kerkez at half-time during the weekend defeat against Bournemouth. At the final whistle, the Scotland captain went over to applaud the traveling support, who had sung his name loudly, though it remains to be seen whether an exit will be sanctioned.
"Of course I speak to him," Van Dijk told reporters. "Every day. He’s my vice-captain. Robbo is a very important member of our team and I want him to stay but whatever happens, let’s see."
OPINION
Author avatarMatt AddisonREAD MORE: Alisson ignores direct orders from Arne Slot as Liverpool failure proves costly
Van Dijk made a mistake in the first half and then Liverpool didn't put the ball out for Wataru Endo to replace the injured Joe Gomez, meaning it was playing with 10 men for a spell.
Bournemouth went two goals up in that period, with Van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai leveling things at 2-2, before Amine Adli, a former teammate of Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong at Bayer Leverkusen, netted a stoppage-time winner.
"Tough. Disappointed," Van Dijk said. "First goal, I take full responsibility for that, even though it was a very difficult ball to judge. In the second half, we tried to do that.
"The second goal, we can all speak and say we should have kicked the ball out, we should have done this. But to concede like that puts ourselves in a position where we have to work even harder than ever.
Joe Gomez makes his way off the pitch after picking up an injury in Liverpool's game against Bournemouth
Joe Gomez makes his way off the pitch after picking up an injury in Liverpool's game against Bournemouth(Image: Getty Images)
"Good that we scored before half-time but we fought so hard in the second half and did not create very big chances. We came in promising positions and eventually scored an equalizer but the throw-in in the end... difficult to take.
"First half, up until the first goal, I don’t think there was anything wrong in my feeling. The 1-0 and 2-0 in a very short space of time was a big blow; you have to fight back and be very strong mentally.
"The goal before half-time helped; it gave us a big push. Second half, we were obviously pushing a lot.
"We could not create open, big clear-cut chances; they created bigger chances because we were wide open at times trying to score our goal. That is the situation."
Virgil van Dijk had a tough night against Bournemouth
Virgil van Dijk had a tough night against Bournemouth(Image: Getty Images)
For the fifth time this season in the Premier League, Liverpool dropped points by conceding in added time at the end of a game, having done so against Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Fulham, Leeds and now at the Vitality Stadium.
Arne Slot admitted that his players were tired — they played on Wednesday in the Champions League — but the bottom line is that his roster simply doesn't have enough depth.
"What can explain tiredness? What do you think? Last season, we did not have many injuries," Van Dijk said. "Look at the last line in the last minutes of the game, that says quite a lot.
"Tiredness, yeah. Listen, they created chances because we were very open at times. If you then don’t make the right decision in possession, you can get counter-attacked.
Get LFC's 2025/26 season home and away kits
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Content Image
From $100
LFC.com
See the deal
Liverpool's home and away strips for the 2025/26 season are the first in their new partnership with adidas.
Fans can order jerseys in the US at Fanatics.com or via the LFC Online Store in both the US and across the world.
"We played Bournemouth, who are very intense. When we only have myself and Wata as the last two, if we lose the ball, then there is a lot of space.
"We are having a difficult season in terms of ups and downs but now we have an opportunity on Wednesday to qualify for the top eight of the Champions League. That is our target but today is tough to take.
Article continues below
"Today is difficult because you lose in a difficult season already. We have to turn that feeling around as quickly as possible to get the job done on Wednesday. That is the life.
"Last Wednesday we had a lot of praise, team and personal, and everything was all good. Today, the flip side, all the other things will be mentioned because it’s the life we live. We have to take responsibility and I will definitely take responsibility."