The Empire of The Kop

Andy Robertson is in ‘advanced talks’ with Tottenham over a summer transfer, reports Sami Mokbel.

The Scotland international is set to become a free agent at the end of the 2025/26 season, with Spurs ready to capitalise.

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The former Hull City fullback has already confirmed that this will be his final season at Anfield.

This comes after Merseysiders opted not to offer Robertson a contract extension.

Andy Robertson closing in on Tottenham summer transfer

Mokbel, reporting with BBC Sport, noted that a full agreement has yet to be sealed between the two parties. However, talks are reportedly at an ‘advanced stage’.

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The key factor that will ultimately decide whether the left-back makes the move to north London, of course, is the ongoing question of Tottenham’s Premier League status.

Roberto De Zerbi’s men find themselves in the middle of a relegation scrap, with the club two points behind West Ham in 17th in safety.

Tottenham could miss out on Robertson transfer

There’s a very real possibility that the Londoners could miss out on Andy Robertson’s transfer this summer.

Of course, if a relegation occurs, this will very much be the least of Tottenham’s worries ahead of what they hope will end up being a brief stay in the Championship.

Either way, it would almost certainly spell the end of talks between the two parties, with the Scotland international taking his services elsewhere.

Atletico Madrid were, at one point, credited with interest in Robertson’s services, though it remains to be seen whether the La Liga giants could be tempted back to the table.

Regardless, we’ve no doubts there will be plenty of suitors willing to hand the Premier League legend a contract.

Wayne Rooney said that one Liverpool player was ‘a joy to watch’ in the Reds’ 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

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Following a series of impressive cameos from Rio Ngumoha in recent weeks, Arne Slot rewarded the 17-year-old with a first Premier League start for the visit of Spurs to Anfield, with the Dutchman acting upon his pre-match hints that the teenager could be included in the starting XI.

The young attacker played for just over an hour before being substituted to a standing ovation from the home fans, and his performance against Igor Tudor’s side came in for plenty of praise.

Rooney: Ngumoha was ‘a joy to watch’ against Spurs

Speaking on Match of the Day on Sunday night, Rooney said of the Liverpool starlet: “Ngumoha is direct and positive. It is a joy to watch these young players willing to take the ball… You wanted the Liverpool players to keep giving him the ball. He is exciting and entertaining.”

Micah Richards concurred with his punditry colleague, saying: “We see a lot of modern-day footballers get into good positions and play the safe pace to recycle possession, but he is positive and sharp.

“Pedro Porro found it very difficult because he didn’t know what to do with Ngumoha. The next part of his development is the final ball.”

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Ngumoha must be in line to start against Galatasaray

Ngumoha’s performance on Sunday was also lauded by Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports, with the former Liverpool defender saying that the 17-year-old was ‘brilliant’ and virtually impossible for opponents to stop when facing him one-on-one.

Liverpool Echo reporter Ian Doyle awarded him 7/10 in his post-match player ratings, opining that the teenager was ‘pretty quiet’ in the first half but ‘improved’ after the interval, echoing Richards in noting the ‘problems’ he caused for Porro.

The Reds winger completed 90% of his passes and all seven dribbles that he attempted on Sunday, along with winning eight out of his 10 duels, a very impressive return for such a young player against far more experienced operators (Sofascore).

It wouldn’t surprise us if Slot were to restore Ngumoha to the bench for the must-win Champions League game against Galatasaray in midweek in favour of more seasoned attackers, but the youngster would fully merit another start on Wednesday night.

With Liverpool requiring a victory to keep their European campaign alive, the fearlessness and attacking thrust of the 17-year-old is exactly what we need at Anfield. Right now, he appears to be one of the likeliest prospective match-winners in a team which has looked all too mundane of late.

Micah Richards expressed concern at one Liverpool player who’s ‘struggling’ after what he witnessed in the 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

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Arne Slot sprung some interesting changes to his starting XI for the visit of Spurs to Anfield, with Jeremie Frimpong replacing Mo Salah on the right-hand side of attack and Dominik Szoboszlai being deployed at right-back.

Although the Hungarian added yet another free kick goal to his collection, his absence from midfield was ultimately missed as Richarlison punished a flat performance from the Reds with a 90th-minute equaliser.

Richards concerned by ‘struggling’ Mac Allister

Whilst dissecting the weekend’s Premier League action on The Rest Is Football, Richards claimed that Liverpool were poorer for not having their number 8 in the middle of the park and voiced concern over the performance of Alexis Mac Allister.

The pundit said: “The balance in midfield when Szoboszlai doesn’t play in there is not the same. It misses that energy. It’s not only what he does going forward – the amount of times he works back and has that energy in midfield and keeps them going.

“Mac Allister at the moment is struggling off the ball. On the ball [he’s] neat and tidy, but he’s getting overrun in midfield, and they need to look at that. Liverpool are a better side when Szoboszlai is in midfield because of his energy.”

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Could Mac Allister be dropped for Galatasaray showdown?

After Paul Gorst claimed in recent days that the Argentine is ‘essentially on trial at Liverpool with regards to a new deal’, he could’ve done with a convincing performance against Spurs on Sunday to answer some of the external criticism.

Unfortunately, the 27-year-old looked lightweight in midfield and was handed a lowly 5/10 match rating from the Liverpool Echo‘s Ian Doyle, who wrote that the World Cup winner ‘flitted in and out before becoming very peripheral [in the] second half’.

A cross-section of Mac Allister’s statistics from yesterday (via Sofascore) perfectly underline the point that Richards is making – the Reds’ number 10 is fine when he has the ball, but there are serious concerns in terms of his work out of possession.

Alexis Mac Allister v Spurs Passes completed 38/42 (90%) Key passes 2 Accurate long balls 2/2 Duels won 2/12 Dribbled past 4

On Wednesday night against Galatasaray, we expect Slot to revert to a more conventional starting XI with Salah in attack, Frimpong resuming his customary right-back role and Szoboszlai moving into midfield, where he can maximise his impact on proceedings.

That domino effect could viably see the Argentina international dropping to the bench, and it was indicative of Liverpool’s feebleness in midfield that the head coach sacrificed an attacker in Cody Gakpo for Trey Nyoni in the final few minutes of the match yesterday.

Mac Allister is a fantastic footballer and we don’t doubt that we’ll see the best of him again, but on current form it wouldn’t surprise us if he were dropped to the bench in midweek.

Liverpool’s frustrating 1-1 draw with Tottenham at Anfield has sparked strong criticism from former striker John Aldridge, who did not hide his disappointment with the way the game ended.

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Arne Slot’s side looked set to claim a crucial victory in the race for Champions League qualification after Dominik Szoboszlai’s first-half free-kick put us ahead.

However, the match followed a familiar pattern that Liverpool supporters have seen too many times this season.

Richarlison struck in the 90th minute to earn Spurs a point and leave the Reds ruing another late concession.

The reaction among fans inside Anfield was one of frustration, and Aldridge shared the same sentiment when reacting on X shortly after the final whistle.

The Liverpool legend wrote: “We got exactly what was deserved! It became shambolic after 80 mins, words fail to a degree. It feels like we’ve lost 😩 Shambolic near the end.”

Late goals becoming Liverpool’s biggest issue

we got exactly what was deserved!!!It became shambolic after 80 mins ,words fail to a https://t.co/SNO824IWUX feels like we've lost😩Shambolic near the end.

— John Aldridge (@Realaldo474) March 15, 2026

Aldridge’s frustration reflects a growing problem for Liverpool this season.

Richarlison’s equaliser was the eighth Premier League goal we have conceded in the 90th minute or later during the campaign, highlighting a recurring inability to close matches out.

That trend has been particularly damaging at Anfield, where Liverpool have now dropped seven points from winning positions in the league.

When the Reds led through Szoboszlai’s goal, the expectation was that three points would follow.

Instead, the performance deteriorated late in the game, allowing Tottenham to build pressure before eventually finding the equaliser.

Criticism mounting around Liverpool performances

Aldridge is not the only former Red to question Liverpool’s display.

Jamie Carragher also voiced his frustration during the match while working on commentary, arguing that Liverpool were “sleepwalking” towards conceding and suggesting Spurs deserved their late reward.

Meanwhile Roy Keane delivered an even harsher assessment after the final whistle, accusing the Reds of being “bad champions” following the dramatic drop-off from last season’s title-winning campaign.

Those opinions underline the wider mood around the club right now.

Liverpool still sit fifth in the Premier League table and remain firmly in the race for Champions League qualification, but performances like the one against Tottenham are making that task far more difficult than it should be.

For Aldridge and many supporters watching on Sunday, the most frustrating part was how avoidable it all felt.

Paul Merson has suggested that Arne Slot could end up at another Premier League club if he were to be dismissed as Liverpool head coach.

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The Dutchman has come under increasing scrutiny this season as the Reds’ top-flight title defence has crumbled miserably, with the Merseysiders left to try and salvage Champions League qualification for 2026/27 and currently sitting sixth in the table.

Today the 47-year-old will be hoping to capitalise on Chelsea’s Saturday slip-up by winning at home to a Tottenham Hotspur side who sit just one point above the relegation zone, and whose own boss (Igor Tudor) is believed to be on borrowed time despite only taking the job last month.

Merson: Slot needs Champions League qualification to keep his job

Speaking on Sky Sports‘ Soccer Saturday, Merson claimed that winning the FA Cup wouldn’t spare Slot from the sack if Liverpool fail to qualify for the Champions League.

The pundit said: “If he won the FA Cup but didn’t finish in Champions League positions it wouldn’t make any difference at all. I think Liverpool have got to get in the Champions League with the [financial] fair play rule. The more you get into the Champions League, the better quality player you can bring in.”

Merson then expressed a bold prediction as to where the Dutchman may end up if he leaves Anfield, saying: “He will have to get in the top four, I would have thought, otherwise he’d be [the next] Tottenham manager.”

Could Slot plausibly end up at Spurs if he’s sacked by Liverpool?

Ironically, Slot was understood to be a leading candidate for the Spurs job three years ago, only to turn them down in favour of remaining at Feyenoord for one more season before Liverpool came calling (The Athletic).

The Dutchman’s finest moment as LFC head coach came against the north Londoners on the day of the 5-1 win at Anfield last April which confirmed the Reds as Premier League champions. Defeat in that fixture today would arguably mark the lowest point of the 47-year-old’s time on Merseyside.

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Merson is among numerous pundits to claim that Slot’s job at Liverpool could hinge on whether or not they qualify for the Champions League, and it’s not implausible that FSG could pull the trigger if they miss out on the riches which come from participating in Europe’s flagship club competition.

If that were to happen, would the current LFC boss resurface at Spurs a few months later? That may well depend on the outcome of the Londoners’ season, with relegation from the top flight a genuine possibility if they fail to arrest their ongoing decline.

With all due respect, it’s difficult to envisage the man who won the Premier League less than a year ago dropping down to the Championship so soon after that triumph, should that indeed be the fate to which Tudor’s current side are consigned.

For now, though, Slot has a job to do at Liverpool, and victory today is essential in order to capitalise on Chelsea’s slip-up against Newcastle and propel the Reds back into the Champions League qualification places (on the presumption that fifth will be good enough to earn that golden ticket).

Arne Slot has warned his Liverpool side to beware facing a ‘wounded animal’ in Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Sunday.

Both teams have endured a desperately disappointing season, with the Reds languishing in sixth place and facing a battle just to qualify for the Champions League.

For Spurs, our ‘crisis’ represents a distant dream, with the north Londoners sitting just one point above the relegation zone as of Saturday morning and having not won a Premier League match since the end of December.

Slot warns Liverpool to beware ‘wounded animal’ Spurs

Despite the precarious situation in which Igor Tudor’s side find themselves, Slot has used his programme notes for tomorrow’s game to warn Liverpool fans not to expect a cakewalk at Anfield.

The Reds’ head coach wrote (via Liverpool FC): ‘This means taking on a Tottenham team which has its own reasons for needing a strong finish to the campaign. For someone like me who always followed English football from a distance before coming to this country, it is strange seeing them in their current situation, and this is one of the reasons why I do not expect it to last.

‘At the same time, their circumstances mean they will arrive at Anfield not just as a wounded animal, but also as a team which knows it has to scrap for survival and which has a point to prove. This makes them a dangerous opponent regardless of recent results or league position, and we will treat them as such.’

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Liverpool can’t afford to take Spurs for granted

Paul Merson and Chris Sutton are among the numerous pundits expecting a comfortable home win for Liverpool on Sunday, and the teams’ respective league positions – as well as Spurs’ horrendous form – would make the Reds clear favourites to claim all three points.

For the under-fire Tudor, the task is made even harder by Cristian Romero and Joao Palhinha joining a top-heavy injury list which also includes Micky van de Ven, Yves Bissouma, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski among a dozen confirmed absences (Premier Injuries).

All logic would seemingly point towards victory for LFC, but Slot isn’t just merely toeing the diplomatic line with his comments on tomorrow’s opponents – he knows all too well that his side can’t take their visitors for granted.

Three of the current bottom six have taken points at Anfield already this season (Nottingham Forest helped themselves to all three in November), and the recent defeat to bottom club Wolves again highlighted Liverpool’s infuriating tendency to trip up in games they’d be expected to win emphatically.

Also, Spurs go to Anfield without the usual burden of expectation which is placed upon them in Premier League fixtures and may feel they have a point to prove with so many pundits effectively giving their team talk for them by writing them off so readily.

If the Reds play with the right attitude for 90+ minutes and are ruthless in both penalty boxes, they’ll likely have too much quality for their opponents to handle. However, Slot is right to warn against complacency, and his side have their own critics to answer on Sunday.

Less than a month after taking charge at Tottenham Hotspur, it’s seemingly unclear whether Igor Tudor will still be in the job by the time they face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday week.

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The Croatian has overseen three defeats to fellow London clubs since replacing Thomas Frank in mid-February, and a 1-3 reverse at home to Crystal Palace on Thursday has left Spurs just one point above the Premier League relegation zone.

It’s possible that they could be inside the bottom three by the time they kick off against the Reds on 15 March, although they have a Champions League round-of-16 clash away to Atletico Madrid in the meantime.

Spurs considering managerial change after dismal start for Tudor

According to The Telegraph, the hierarchy at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium are ‘considering their options’ for a second managerial change in the space of a month after the disastrous start to Tudor’s reign in the dugout.

The defeat to Palace is said to have been ‘alarming’ for Spurs chiefs, although it’s expected that the Croatian will remain in charge for at the first leg of their Champions League tie against Atletico, which takes place on Tuesday night.

A week after they visit Anfield, the north Londoners host relegation rivals Nottingham Forest, and the report claims that the hierarchy ‘may feel that they cannot wait until after’ that game to instigate another change of manager.

Could Tudor be sacked before Spurs visit Liverpool next weekend?

Liverpool fans may be keeping one eye on Spurs’ European fixture on Tuesday and whether N17 bosses could act between that game and the Premier League visit to Merseyside five days later.

The Telegraph’s report would suggest that Tudor isn’t in danger of being fired imminently, but if his side are subjected to a heavy defeat in Madrid which effectively knocks them out of the Champions League, it doesn’t seem wholly unthinkable that the hierarchy might act before the match at Anfield.

In that scenario, Spurs would come to L4 in the hope of enjoying the kind of ‘new manager bounce’ that they haven’t had under the Croatian, and Reds supporters might be hoping that the Tottenham top brass hold fire on the 47-year-old’s future until after that game.

When Liverpool came up against a Forest team under new management in Vitor Pereira’s first Premier League game at the City Ground a fortnight ago, they escaped with a 1-0 victory – ‘escaped’ being the operative word as Arne Slot’s side were hugely fortunate to take three points that day.

Could there be a third managerial change for Spurs since their most recent visit to Anfield last April (the day that the Reds were confirmed as champions)? It seems more likely than unlikely that Tudor will get to Sunday week with his job intact, although that can’t be taken for granted in this increasingly volatile ‘instant gratification’ era of football.

Former Liverpool assistant coach John Heitinga has left his role at Tottenham Hotspur after only 33 days in the job.

The Dutchman came to Anfield in July 2024 as part of Arne Slot’s backroom staff ahead of the latter’s first season as the Reds’ head coach, contributing towards our Premier League triumph last year before leaving to take charge of Ajax.

He lasted just five months with the Amsterdam club prior to being appointed to Thomas Frank’s coaching ticket in mid-January, but the Dane was promptly sacked by Spurs last week with the Europa League holders languishing in 16th place domestically.

Heitinga quits as Spurs assistant coach

On Monday, The Athletic reported that Heitinga has left his role at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium just over a month after coming to north London.

It was the 42-year-old’s decision to leave Spurs, choosing not to remain part of the new coaching structure under interim head coach Igor Tudor, with the Croatian instead bringing some of his former Juventus backroom staff with him to the English capital.

While Slot’s one-time assistant has departed the Premier League strugglers, another ex-Liverpool employee in Fabian Otte is expected to stay on as goalkeeping coach in Tottenham, despite the arrival of Tomislav Rogic in a similar role.

Heitinga has had a rather nomadic coaching career already

The nomadic nature of Heitinga’s coaching career continues, with the Dutchman having now left four different clubs in less than two years, either forcibly or of his own volition.

He departed West Ham along with David Moyes in May 2024 before leaving Liverpool for the Ajax head coach role a year later. Then came his swift dismissal in Amsterdam and his considerably shorter-lived association with Spurs.

The 42-year-old was involved with the north Londoners for a mere seven games, of which they won and drew two each and lost three, securing a direct passage to the last 16 in the Champions League but floundering domestically.

Heitinga at Spurs Competition Result (Spurs first) West Ham (H) Premier League 1-2 Borussia Dortmund (H) Champions League 2-0 Burnley (A) Premier League 2-2 Eintracht Frankfurt (A) Champions League 2-0 Manchester City (H) Premier League 2-2 Manchester United (A) Premier League 0-2 Newcastle (H) Premier League 1-2

What’s next for Heitinga? Will he jump into a new job as quickly as he left his most recent one? Could he plausibly return to Anfield if – as Jamie Carragher has suggested – FSG keep faith in Slot for the foreseeable future.

Given his previous association with (and extensive knowledge of) the current coaching setup at Liverpool, it’s not unthinkable that he could be offered the opportunity to return to Merseyside, should he wish to do so.

The Reds aren’t actively looking to add to Slot’s backroom staff at present, but the volatile nature of the 42-year-old’s coaching career would suggest that the possibility of retracing his steps to L4 isn’t completely out of the queston.

Liverpool reportedly fielded an enquiry from Tottenham Hotspur regarding Andy Robertson in the final 24 hours of the January transfer window.

Spurs had been actively working on a deal to sign the Scottish left-back last month, but they were ultimately informed by Anfield chiefs that the 31-year-old that they weren’t in a position to sanction an exit for the long-serving defender.

Arne Slot made it publicly clear that he was keen to hold onto the Reds’ number 26, who played the full 90 minutes in the Champions League victory over Qarabag last week but was an unsused substitute against Newcastle on Saturday night.

Spurs made a last-ditch call to Liverpool for Robertson

Michael Bridge has been providing deadline-day updates from outside Spurs’ training ground in north London, and he briefly spoke about a last-ditch attempt from Thomas Frank’s side to sound out Liverpool about Robertson.

Speaking live on Sky Sports News (via GIVEMESPORT), the reporter said: “Our information was that a check call has gone in just to see if Liverpool’s position has changed as to the availability of Andy Robertson, but that’s a no.”

Liverpool would’ve been foolish to let Robertson leave mid-season

Having been the Reds’ firm first-choice at left-back for eight years, the Scot has had to be content with playing second fiddle to Milos Kerkez for much of this season, and it’d be understandable if he felt a desire to take on a new challenge.

That might well come later this year, seeing as his contract at Anfield expires in June, but thankfully the 31-year-old is set to see out the remainder of this campaign at Liverpool.

Considering the injuries to several other LFC defenders, and Robertson’s ability to play at centre-back if required, the Merseyside club weren’t in a position to sanction a January exit for our number 26, whose leadership qualities make him a crucial figure in Slot’s squad.

The fee that the Reds would’ve received for him wouldn’t have been worth losing him mid-season, and even if he is to depart as a free agent in the summer, his availability between now and then could be vital in a campaign which has seen our defensive options continually affected by injury issues.

In truth, Spurs would probably have been expecting another rebuttal from Anfield before making their latest enquiry for Robertson. Why would Liverpool alter their stance in the final hours of the transfer window, having already erected the ‘not for sale’ signs a few days previously?

Andy Robertson now looks set to remain at Liverpool for the time being, with the Anfield hierarchy pulling the plug on a proposed transfer to Tottenham Hotspur.

Last week, The Athletic‘s David Ornstein reported that Spurs had been actively working on a deal to sign the Scottish left-back, and as recently as Sunday morning, Fabrizio Romano claimed that negotiations between the two clubs were ‘still ongoing’.

In the aftermath of the Reds’ 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday – in which the 31-year-old came on as a substitute at half-time – both Arne Slot and Virgil van Dijk made it clear that they’re yearning for the long-serving defender to stay put, and it now seems that they’ll get their wish.

Liverpool pull plug on Robertson move to Spurs

Just before 9pm on Sunday night, Paul Joyce reported for The Times that Liverpool have informed Spurs that they’re not in a position to sanction an exit for Robertson as things stand.

The north London club had been prepared to pay £5m for the Scotland captain, whose contract at Anfield expires in the summer, with Thomas Frank down to just one natural senior left-back in Destiny Udogie.

While the Reds have considered Spurs’ offer, they ultimately decided against proceeding with the move due to a sparsity of alternatives. Our number 26 hadn’t been agitating for a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and ‘will continue to have a role to play for the remainder of the season’ under Slot.

Liverpool weren’t in a position to let Robertson leave mid-season

Having had Crystal Palace intervene at the 11th hour to block Marc Guehi’s move to Merseyside five months ago, Liverpool have now acted decisively to ensure that they don’t lose Robertson on the cusp of the transfer deadline when defensive options are already threadbare.

It was the only course of action that FSG could realistically contemplate, especially with Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley sidelined by long-term injuries and Joe Gomez being forced off at Bournemouth on Saturday.

We completely understand that, after so many seasons of being a fixed starter for the Reds, it must be frustrating for the 31-year-old to be playing second fiddle to Kerkez, having had just four Premier League starts so far in the current campaign.

However, after a year of substantial flux at Liverpool, Robertson provides a crucial presence in the dressing room with his longevity and leadership, helping to drive standards behind the scenes just as Jordan Henderson and James Milner did in the past in L4.

While we can breathe a sigh of relief for now that the Scot won’t be leaving before next Monday’s deadline, the possibility of a summer farewell remains very much plausible unless he pens a contract extension in the coming months.

FSG may be merely delaying the inevitable, but at least at a time of crisis for the Reds, the hierarchy have taken affirmative action and vetoed a mid-season exit for a player who’s long since secured legendary status at Anfield.