From Exit Door to Alonso Asset? Why Andy Robertson Suddenly Makes Sense Again | OneFootball

A Convenient Revival or a Useful Signal?

Andy Robertson’s name being linked with Tottenham on the eve of a damaging defeat felt less like a coincidence and more like a pressure point finally being applied. A proud Scot, a serial winner, and one of the defining full-backs of the Klopp era does not quietly accept a future built on cameos, domestic cup minutes, and the occasional late-game rescue mission. At 31, Robertson is not finished — and he knows it.

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So when he emerged from the bench at half-time on the south coast and immediately brought stability, aggression, and clarity to Liverpool’s left side, it inevitably shifted the conversation. The idea that forty-five solid minutes alone could trigger a genuine U-turn from the hierarchy is hard to swallow. Robertson has already delivered a “decent season” as a rotation piece. This wasn’t a sudden rediscovery of form — it was a reminder of reliability.

Which makes the timing interesting.

With persistent whispers around Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes exploring contingency plans — including the sensational possibility of Xabi Alonso becoming available sooner rather than later — Robertson’s brief resurgence feels symbolic rather than decisive. Players read the room. Senior players especially. If confidence in Arne Slot was already wavering internally, Robertson’s alleged willingness to listen to overtures from Tottenham suddenly looks less like disloyalty and more like professional self-preservation.

This isn’t about one half of football. It’s about what comes next — and who might be leading it.

If Alonso Looms, Robertson Suddenly Makes Sense

Let’s lean fully into the conspiracy theory — because football history is built on them eventually being proven half-right.

If Liverpool were to move on from Arne Slot and accelerate plans to install Xabi Alonso, the tactical landscape changes overnight. The default would almost certainly be a 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-3 system — the structure that defined Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen side and maximised control, verticality, and aggressive wide defenders.

In that scenario, Andy Robertson becomes useful again — just not in the way he once was.

While not an ideal centre-back, Robertson’s tenacity, positional intelligence, and willingness to follow instruction would make him a viable option as the left-sided centre-back in a back three, particularly with Virgil van Dijk operating inside him. It’s not elegant, but it’s functional — and Alonso has never been afraid of reassigning roles to suit mentality over profile.

That alignment becomes even more plausible when you factor in Milos Kerkez’s profile as a high-energy wing-back and Kostas Tsimikas’ likely return from Roma to add depth. Alonso has always favoured a left-sided defender comfortable defending wide channels while allowing the wing-back to attack relentlessly. Robertson, even in decline, still understands those spaces better than most.

If communication has taken place — informal, exploratory, or otherwise — it would explain the sudden softening of Robertson’s stance. One door closing under Slot, another creaking open under Alonso. A different role. A different voice. A different future.

Tottenham may still be interested. But if Liverpool are genuinely on the brink of managerial upheaval, Andy Robertson might just decide that staying — and adapting — beats starting over.

Especially if the next man through the door already has him in mind.