Andy Robertson is less than eight months away from the expiry of his current Liverpool contract, although one reliable insider has indicated that talks over a new deal could commence soon.
The 31-year-old is the third longest-serving player in the Reds squad, having joined from Hull in July 2017, although he was (by his own admission) close to leaving for Atletico Madrid during the summer of this year.
Last month, Football Insider‘s Pete O’Rourke suggested that Celtic (who the left-back supported in his childhood) have been monitoring the Scotland captain’s situation at Anfield as a pivotal decision on his future looms large.
Liverpool expected to open contract talks with Robertson ‘soon’
Transfer insider Graeme Bailey has now hinted that Liverpool could commence negotiations over a new contract for Robertson over the New Year, at which stage he’ll be six months out from becoming a free agent.
He told 67 Hail Hail: “Everyone is aware of Robertson’s ties with Celtic, but as it stands I am told that the player firmly believes he still has a future at Liverpool.
“His deal at Anfield is due to expire, but I believe that as it stands they will be talking to him soon – probably heading into the New Year – about new terms. It won’t be long-term but, as he has proven so far this season, he is more than capable of playing at the top level.”
Robertson is still crucial to Liverpool, on and off the pitch
Robertson had been playing second fiddle to Milos Kerkez in the left-back pecking order for the first couple of months this season, but the long-serving Scot has been Arne Slot’s preferred option in that position in recent games.
As he’s shown this term by occupying opposition defenders from corner kicks to leave space for Virgil van Dijk to attack, the 31-year-old remains vital to Liverpool for his clever movement and his in-game intelligence when on the pitch.
In addition, the Scotland captain is a genuine leader who – similar to James Milner – is crucial for driving standards on matchdays and on the training pitch, with younger teammates benefitting from the experience of a man who’s won two Premier League titles and the Champions League.
With Kerkez yet to properly find his feet since coming to Anfield in the summer, it seems a no-brainer for LFC to try and convince Robertson to pen a contract extension and remain at the club for another little while at least.
The danger of leaving the negotiations until January is that overseas suitors could broker a pre-contract agreement then, but from Bailey’s update, it seems that the left-back’s wish is to extend his time at Liverpool, which’d go down a treat among Kopites.
You can watch Slot’s full post-Man City press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:
You deserve a good deal, Andy.
2-3 years with an option to extend maybe ?
Try and stay onside next time😃😃.
Most likely 2 year deal similar to Salah and van dijk. The recruitment team here loves young talents and they have really made a clear business model out of modern football. Buy young, sell old.
That works to a point, but there’s always exceptions. Eg. a Milner type role ?
2yrs sounds good from the club’s p.o.v., but Andy’s personal situation is also key.
Any further forays in the transfer market whilst Tsimikas is still on loan will be telling.
Buy young, sell young is common sense in a general sense, but getting the right one depends on availability also. We may have to wait sometimes. Eg. Guehi.