Andrew Robertson in extension talks (Image: Getty Images)
Liverpool vice-captain Andy Robertson has revealed he is in contract talks with the club with the aim of extending his Anfield career to another 10 years. The Scotland international will share left-back duties this season with summer signing Milos Kerkes for £40 million, presenting Robertson with his toughest challenge for a starting berth since establishing himself under Jurgen Klopp in 2017.
The defender, currently in his ninth season on Merseyside, has started just four Premier League games this season, with 22-year-old Kerkes becoming Arne Slott’s preferred option. Following rumors of a link with Atletico Madrid in the summer, Robertson admitted that negotiations had begun, but acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding his future. “We’ll see what happens,” Robertson said. “We’re chatting right now, but it remains private. I’ve talked to them and we’ll see what happens. Do I want to stay? Yes, but that’s a tough question to ask.”
“We’ve got five months left and we have to figure out whether we have the option to stay or if we have the option to go and things like that. I’ll have a long discussion with my family and decide. After a stressful summer I’m just trying to enjoy being part of it and being a Liverpool player. I wanted to qualify for the World Cup and thankfully we’ve achieved that. I need to figure out what I want for myself and my family going forward.”
Robertson made 263 of his 320 Premier League appearances for Liverpool during his glittering spell on Merseyside, winning a Premier League double, the Champions League and Club World Cup in 2019, two Carabao Cup medals and the FA Cup four years ago.
The 31-year-old insists his achievements at Anfield speak for themselves. That means he has nothing left to prove to the club’s decision makers before potentially leaving as a free agent at the end of the season.
Robertson, who joined from Hull City for £8 million in 2017, said: “I’ve given everything I can for the club over the last eight-and-a-half years and the club has been very good to me. When I play well they reward me with a good contract.”
“No one can deny what I have given this club. I have given my all every day and performed well and I hope others will agree. I have won many trophies here and had good days.
Andrew Robertson is Liverpool’s current vice-captain (Image: Getty Images)
“So that’s a completely different picture of what the club has to show over the next four months. My relationship with the people in the upper echelons of the club has always been great from the day I joined. Signing me for £8m and then doing what I’ve done helps with that! I’m always reminding people of that!”
“The relationship is good and it’s not like, ‘What they need to show me and what I need to show them,’ because we’ve shown each other more than enough respect over the last eight-and-a-half years. Let’s see what happens.”
Robertson admits he accepts Kerkez and the current squad rotation, but admitted that after a stellar spell at Anfield, reduced game time this season will influence future decisions.
“I can focus on the last eight-and-a-half years. I think Jurgen Klopp made me miss one game and I was furious!” he joked. “So I’m a player who wants to play. I’ve played through injuries and I’ve played when I wasn’t 100% fit.
“I have played when I was only at 50, 40, 30 percent fitness for this club and for my country. I always want to play on grass, but obviously I can’t do that right now. So that’s the difference.”
“But this season I have a different role here and I’m enjoying it, but at the end of the day, footballers want to play and if someone is sitting happily on the bench, that means they don’t belong to any football club.”
“That’s always been my point. You should always want to push to get into the team. If you’re happy at Liverpool or want to sit on the bench at Barnsley, I don’t think that’s the right attitude.”
“I played well in the games I played this season. Maybe I didn’t play as much as I would have liked, but there’s nothing surprising. We’ll see what happens.”
