Andy Robertson has spoken about Diogo Jota's passing and the impact that it had on Liverpool last season, when new signings like Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz joined the group
Andy Robertson applauds the Liverpool fans at Anfield after returning with Tottenham.
Andy Robertson applauds the Liverpool fans at Anfield after returning with Tottenham.(Image: Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images)
Former Liverpool defender Andy Robertson has opened up on the passing of Diogo Jota in 2025, which he says impacted the difficult season that followed at Anfield.
Having won the Premier League title, Liverpool was unable to come close to challenging the eventual 2025/26 title winners, Arsenal, with Robertson outlining the impact that Jota's tragic death last summer had on his teammates.
"It's difficult to describe or talk about, really," Robertson said on The Overlap. "What we went through, it was horrendous. If I'm talking about the new signings, the new signings, they're coming into a club that is heartbroken.
"That's where I felt so sorry for these guys because they have signed, and they've signed for big money. If I'm talking about football, it took them months to settle in because we were... we didn't care about football. That was the truth.
"We didn't care about football because we had just lost one of our best mates in the changing room. All footballers, we all have that edge, don't we?
"When you lose that edge, you can't perform to the best [of your ability] and I think last season we lost the edge. When I look back at it now, I think we lost maybe that determination.
"I know at times we were maybe going, 'What's the point?'. Look at what Jotsy's family are going through and his kids. We were grieving.
"He is our mate at the end of the day — he is not a footballer to us. He was a teammate. He was a friend. For us, it was incredibly difficult."
Robertson left Liverpool at the end of last season when his contract expired. The 33-year-old now plays for Tottenham and returned to Anfield a week ago in the Carabao Cup.
"It was strange," he added. "Obviously, I'd looked at the fixtures when they first came out.
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"You look at Liverpool away (in the Premier League), and it was December. I'm thinking, 'I'm quite happy with that. I can get my feet under the table with Tottenham.'
"And then the cup competition. We beat Charlton at home, and everyone's running around the changing room going, 'You're going back!' I'm like, 'Ahhhhh' (lifts his head up in despair).
"But no, it was great, in terms of the reception I got from the home fans. It was a long time there, and to go back and to be in another color and still get that reception, it was nice. It was nice."