Andy Robertson has bolstered Tottenham’s defensive unit after joining from Liverpool.
Tottenham Hotspur have had a busy summer window so far with six arrivals, including club-record deals for midfield pair Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali from West Ham and Newcastle United, respectively. Three defenders and a goalkeeper have also arrived to fortify the rearguard that was extremely leaky last season.
Andy Robertson made the move to the white half of North London on a free transfer from Liverpool in June. The Scotland international had an illustrious career at Liverpool, winning two league titles, an FA Cup, two League Cups and the Champions League. The left-back now brings all the experience, leadership skills and winning mentality with him to Spurs.
The 32-year-old is a part of the 35-man Tottenham squad that got on the plane to New Zealand and Australia earlier this week for the club’s pre-season tour.
Andy Robertson opens up on competition with Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence
Robertson admitted earlier this week that he is excited to join another massive club after nine years at Liverpool, insisting it is the ideal time in his career to taste a new adventure. Undoubtedly one of the best left-backs in the Premier League during his peak, the Scot may make his first appearance in a Tottenham shirt on Sunday in the pre-season friendly against Auckland FC.
The defender admitted that he is no stranger to having serious competition for places, having been a part of the Liverpool squad for almost a decade.
“You go to big clubs, and if you look at all big clubs, you don’t have it easy in any position,” Robertson said in the press conference.
The club, the manager, the people above are trying to create a squad where there’s competition in every position. You don’t stay at the top, and you don’t play for big clubs if you’re not ready to compete for positions, if you’re not ready to fight for your positions, and that goes for everyone. It goes for everyone in the squad.
“If more new players come in, if all the new players come in, everyone’s going to need to play for their place. For me, that’s something I’ve been used to for the last nine years. It’s something that I’ll be used to until my career ends. It’s nothing new for me.”
Robertson also stated that the competition for places across the Tottenham squad is strong, admitting that he has been impressed by the quality of the players in his first few training sessions under De Zerbi and his coaching staff’s watch. The two-time Premier League winner feels that if everyone is united and pulling in the same direction, then Spurs can challenge for the top spots in the table Premier League table.
“The quality of player in this squad is very good. If we can just get more out of it then, like the manager said, the last two seasons in the Premier League haven’t been up to scratch for Tottenham,” he added.
“They’ve been down the wrong end of the table. I think everyone’s determined to not make that happen this season. As long as everyone’s pulling in the same direction, everyone’s competing, then I think we’ve got a squad that can be a lot higher up than where they were.”
Robertson’s quality and experience will be invaluable to Tottenham
Robertson made close to 380 appearances and won several major honours during his time at Anfield. While he lost his starting berth to Milos Kerkez last season, the Scotland skipper still has a lot to offer at a high level.
Securing the left-back’s signature on a free transfer represents a massive coup for the North Londoners. He has arrived at Tottenham straight from captaining the Scotland squad at the recent World Cup in North America. All in all, Robertson offers qualities in and out of possession required to elevate Tottenham’s tactical standard and competitive outlook.