Andy Robertson emerged as a somewhat surprise target for Tottenham last week but the Reds have decided they cannot afford to let him leave midway through the season
11:24, 26 Jan 2026
Liverpool defender Andy Robertson
Liverpool defender Andy Robertson(Image: 2026 CameraSport)
Common sense prevailed as it emerged over the weekend that Liverpool will not allow Andy Robertson to leave the club this month.
Tottenham emerged as a surprise suitor for the Scotland left-back last week, with the North London club eyeing an experienced replacement for Ben Davies, who has just undergone ankle surgery.
Robertson has seen Milos Kerkez take his place in the Liverpool team this season, and is understandably keen to play more frequently in the lead-up to the World Cup.
The 31-year-old has made 22 appearances for Liverpool in 2025-26, but only half of those have come as a starter, and he has lined up in just one of Liverpool's last nine games in the Premier League.
READ MORE: Arne Slot and Liverpool know what to do after Trent Alexander-Arnold bombshellREAD MORE: Andy Robertson set to stay at Liverpool despite Tottenham transfer interest
There were some suggestions that Liverpool would reluctantly allow Robertson to join Spurs as a sign of gratitude for everything he has given to the Reds over the last eight and a half years.
That sentiment would have been nice – but it also would have been reckless considering the state of the team's defense.
The suggestion was that Liverpool would look to recall Kostas Tsimikas from his loan spell at Roma and restore him to his familiar role as the Reds' back-up left-back.Robertson is so much better than Tsimikas, though – and were Kerkez to sustain an injury during the run-in, Liverpool would face questions were the team to end up with Tsimikas back in the starting line-up every week.Liverpool's squad also lacks depth at center-half, and Robertson is probably the best equipped of all of the full-backs at Arne Slot's disposal to fill in in a central position.
Kostas Tsimikas
There were some suggestions that Kostas Tsimikas could be recalled from his Roma loan(Image: 2026 BSR Agency)
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Keeping Robertson is the right decision, although it does mean that Liverpool will almost certainly lose him for nothing at the end of the season.Ibrahima Konate, too, is likely to leave for nothing, just 12 months on from Trent Alexander-Arnold joining Real Madrid for a cut-price transfer fee just weeks before his contract was due to expire.That's three of the four first-choice defenders from Liverpool's title-winning season that will almost certainly not be at the club next season, and with the club only receiving a paltry transfer fee for Alexander-Arnold.Considering the contract sagas that also played out with Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah last season, it's fair to say that Liverpool has a big problem with handling the futures of some of its most important players.