Owen Hargreaves has claimed that one current Premier League player would be capable of making the ‘step up’ to a top-four club such as Liverpool.
During the winter, it was reported that Anfield chiefs had made contact with Fulham regarding Antonee Robinson (The Mirror), and the ex-Manchester United midfielder is a big admirer of the £50,000-per-week left-back.
Speaking on Premier League Productions (18/03/24 at 5:20 pm), the pundit said of the USA international: “To get a full-back that can cover that much distance is tough. He is almost covering the whole left-hand side on his own, but if you can get these numbers, if you can get six assists by March, then you put yourself in an elite category.
“He is performing at an elite level. He is always fit and always plays. Getting assists, he will be absolutely delighted with the numbers.”
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When asked if Robinson could play for a club in the Premier League’s top four, Hargreaves replied: “I think he could. I think he has the capacity and capability. He’s still relatively a young player. If he’s adding those types of numbers in a team that isn’t the most attacking, then it makes you think he could step up one more level.
“He’s in a good place at Fulham right now, performing very well.”
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Robinson claimed an assist in Fulham’s narrow 4-3 defeat away to Liverpool in December and also played against us in both legs of the Carabao Cup semi-final, winning 13 duels across the two matches in the latter competition (Sofascore).
In addition to his ability to bomb forward and set up goals, the 26-year-old also dutifully carries out the defensive tasks which come with his position. As per FBref, he ranks among the top 2% of full-backs in Europe’s five main leagues over the past year for interceptions per 90 with 2.21.
He’s also in the top 16% of positional peers for tackles (2.58) and clearances (2.97) made and aerial duels won (1.35) per game, so the American has a broad skill set in his locker.
In terms of Robinson being a potential transfer option for Liverpool, though, he’d face strong competition in the form of Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas, even if there was a brief spell during the winter when both of our senior left-backs were out injured.
We don’t disagree with Hargreaves’ verdict that the 26-year-old could thrive at a club competing at the upper end of the Premier League table, but the Fulham dynamo mightn’t necessarily be the player we most urgently need at this moment in time.
Nonetheless, let’s see if the January transfer links are revived in the coming months.