Tottenham appear to be closing in on the signing of the Liverpool centre-back as a free arrival this summer and it's a move that makes sense
Andy Robertson looks set to swap the surroundings of Liverpool for north London and Tottenham and it's a move that makes a lot of sense for Roberto De Zerbi and Destiny Udogie.
The 32-year-old's time at Anfield comes to a close at the end of next month and he is expected to finally make the move to Spurs after being unable to see through the switch in January. The two clubs had agreed a deal for the left-back in the winter on the proviso that Liverpool could recall Kostas Tsimikas from his loan at Roma, but that was not possible and the Scotland captain remained with Arne Slot's side.
Now with late interest from Juventus reportedly seen off, De Zerbi is said to have given the green light to the move at the second attempt, with Thomas Frank having been in charge when Spurs first approached Liverpool.
While Robertson, who captain Scotland at the World Cup this summer, is now in his thirties, it's a transfer that makes a lot of sense for Tottenham.
With the veteran Ben Davies reaching the end of his contract and potentially moving on for regular football this summer, there is a hole in the squad at left-back with Djed Spence utilised there for much of this campaign when Davies or Destiny Udogie were out injured.
Spurs are desperately in need of a mentality change within their dressing room, with vocal winners and leaders required. Robertson ticks both boxes and will bring that desire to be better.
The Scotland skipper won everything possible at Liverpool. He has claimed two Premier League titles, one Champions League - beating Tottenham in the process not that anyone needs reminding, one Club World Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, one FA Cup, two League Cups and the Community Shield if you want to throw that in as well.
The Glaswegian has also been one hell of a left-back in the Premier League and in Europe and even when people felt he was heading off in January and was out of favour, he ended up starting most of the remaining games of the season for Slot.
In the end, Robertson made 378 appearances for Liverpool and registered 83 goal involvements, with 69 assists and netting 14 times himself, a very decent total for a full-back.
Bear in mind that Tottenham have two young left-backs currently in 23-year-old Destiny Udogie and 19-year-old Souza and you can't really find a much better mentor and player to learn from for them than the decorated Scot.
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Think back to Ledley King at Spurs and the one player who the former captain cites as being someone who shaped his career as a young centre-back was Noureddine Naybet.
Tottenham signed the 34-year-old Moroccan from Deportivo La Coruna in 2004 and while he only really played through one full season in north London, the La Liga and Copa del Rey winner taught the young King huge amounts when it came to reading the game and simply being a central defender in a flat back four.
Both Udogie and Souza, if the young Brazilian is not loaned out or before he goes, can learn similarly large lessons from Robertson in the season ahead.
Udogie, for example, does not contribute enough at the other end of the pitch with just two goals and five assists from his 94 appearances in a Spurs shirt. He registered more than double those numbers in 23 fewer games at Udinese before arriving at Tottenham in 2023, having spent a loan season back in Udine.
Udogie also should have played more matches than he has over those three years in N17 but muscle injuries have held the Italy international back and he will share the duties with Robertson if the Scot does put pen to paper as expected. That will place less pressure on the Italian to play as many minutes in games but will also challenge him to up his level or end up sitting and watching the new man get most of the action in a season without European football and as many midweek matches.
Robertson is also robust and, other than a shoulder injury at the end of 2023, has missed a handful of games across the rest of his career. Tottenham are looking to ensure they sign more players who will be able to handle the rigours of De Zerbi's energetic and powerful football.
Spurs need a major overhaul this summer to help De Zerbi create the dream squad he wants to turn the club around. Bringing in Robertson so quickly after the season ends, along with Bournemouth's player of the season Marcos Senesi, on free transfers injects a huge dose of quality, experience and mentorship into the team and leaves the big transfer money to be spent further up the pitch.