When Cristian Romero joined Atletico Madrid for £34million in August, he became the third captain to leave Tottenham Hotspur in the last four years, following in the footsteps of Hugo Lloris and Son Heung-min. Other senior figures have also been sold, including the club’s all-time top goalscorer Harry Kane, Eric Dier and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
There has been a huge loss of leadership, which at least partly explains their determination to sign Andy Robertson.
Spurs spent more than £300m ($405m) on 10 new players but a tricky start to the season has underlined the need for experience. They have failed to score in their first four league games and have only taken two points. Roberto De Zerbi criticised the team’s mentality and response to Anthony Elanga’s goal in the 2-0 defeat against Newcastle United, and the last thing they need right now is for panic to set in.
Fortunately for Spurs, one of Robertson’s biggest strengths is his upbeat attitude, according to former Liverpool team-mate Caoimhin Kelleher.
“He is going to be brilliant,” Kelleher said after playing against Robertson in Spurs’ 3-0 defeat by Brentford. “He has got a wealth of experience. He’s won every trophy, he’s a winner, and also he’s just a great human being. He’s very positive. He’s been a Scotland captain, he was vice-captain of Liverpool. He’s going to lead them and guide them in a good direction.”
Andy Robertson made his Spurs debut at Brentford in August (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Spurs wanted to sign Robertson in January, but Liverpool could not find a replacement left-back, so he stayed until his contract expired in June. He returns to Anfield for the first time in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup third-round tie.
Robertson does not need an armband to be a good role model.
The 32-year-old has not been included in De Zerbi’s leadership group, which consists of captain Micky van de Ven, vice-captain Pedro Porro, Ben Davies, James Maddison and Archie Gray. Robertson demonstrated his value against Brentford, as he kept telling team-mates where to position their defensive line. In the second half, he played out of position at right-back.
Robertson was an unused substitute in August’s 5-1 victory over Charlton Athletic in the Carabao Cup but still shook hands with opponents and gave his shirt to Rob Apter. He encouraged his team-mates after Neco Williams’ disallowed goal in the draw with Nottingham Forest. These are all little things that can make a big difference.
Robertson’s leadership style is directly linked to his unconventional path to the top. In 2009, he was released by Celtic, the club he grew up supporting, aged 15 due to concerns about his size. Robertson joined Queen’s Park, who were semi-professional at the time, and made his debut at 18. Within a year, he had joined Scottish top-flight side Dundee United. Robertson’s rapid ascent continued with a move to Hull City in England shortly after turning 20.
“When he turned up, he was a young kid from Dundee United nobody knew about,” Curtis Davies, Robertson’s team-mate at Hull, tells The Athletic. “He had that inner belief and work ethic. He always wanted to push himself in training and do his best even when he wasn’t in the team.
“We had big characters including myself, Michael Dawson, Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore. Once he settled, he became more vocal. If something was not right, he wouldn’t wait for the captain to say something. He always had that edge but in a constructive way.
“There might be a few swear words in there but it wasn’t moaning or groaning. He wanted to motivate other people.”
Andy Robertson and Curtis Davies battle for the ball with Tottenham’s Roberto Soldado in 2014 (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Davies made 144 appearances for Hull and regularly played next to Robertson as the left centre-back. Davies was 29 when Robertson arrived and had already represented Birmingham City, Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League. But Robertson was unafraid to call out senior players.
“I like it when young players are verbal,” says Davies, who regularly captained Hull. “I talk 24/7. I don’t want to be the guy who has to lead everyone and orchestrate everything. If I’m doing something wrong, pull me up on it. He was always good for that.
“When he first came to the Premier League, he was known more for his attacking. He had a few harsh lessons where he was caught out at the back post or ball-watching. In his second season, when we were in the Championship, he could express himself more and grow as a defender. There is nowhere to hide in the Championship when you play so often and he had a lot of learning to do quickly. The following season, he looked more confident, earned a transfer to Liverpool and never looked back.”
Robertson moved to Anfield for £8m in July 2017 but struggled in the first few months. He knocked on the door of then-manager Jurgen Klopp, seeking advice.
“It was getting to a point where I had to say something,” Robertson told The Athletic in May. “It wasn’t confrontational, I wasn’t having a go — and that is why the conversation was so good. I asked him, ‘What do I need to do to get in your team?’. He thought it was obvious. I just went in the next day and thought, ‘Everything he has said, defensively, I am going to do. If I fail, I fail’.”
Robertson evolved into one of the best left-backs in the world under Klopp. He won nine trophies in as many years at Liverpool, including the Premier League (twice) and the Champions League. Robertson reached double figures for assists in four seasons and scored some crucial goals, including a header in the Merseyside derby against Everton in April 2022.
Andy Robertson has his photo taken with fans and the Premier League trophy in 2025 (Carl Recine/Getty Images)
He became a key voice in the dressing room after being heavily influenced by Adam Lallana, Jordan Henderson and James Milner. Robertson was one of the first players to arrive at the training ground each morning and would receive treatment on the massage tables. He trained at a high level and pushed others to maintain the same standards.
He became part of the official leadership group in 2021 and took on the responsibility of collecting fines following Milner’s departure to Brighton & Hove Albion two years later. Robertson was named vice-captain in August 2025 following Trent Alexander-Arnold’s move to Real Madrid.
Goalkeeper Adrian, who played and trained alongside Robertson for five years at Liverpool, praised his “energy” and motivational skills.
“He lifted the dressing room constantly and set the tone with his intensity and quality,” Adrian told The Athletic in May. “Always joking, always talking, always winding people up, especially in training. He kept everyone entertained. He plays every game with aggression, passion and unbelievable work rate, but he’s also a top leader. Liverpool wouldn’t have achieved what they did without him.”
Robertson would offer advice to academy players and help them integrate into the first-team squad. When Liverpool secured the title with a 5-1 victory over Spurs at Anfield in April 2025, he celebrated by dancing with Alisson and the academy players who were ball boys.
Robertson had a strong bond with academy graduate Conor Bradley and supported the right-back through his rehab from a knee injury he suffered in January. Hopefully, Spurs’ highly rated young players, including Gray, Souza and 17-year-old defender Jun’ai Byfield, will soak up Robertson’s knowledge.
Robertson grew close to Freddie Woodman after the goalkeeper joined Liverpool last summer. Woodman is a former England Under-21 international who made a few top-flight appearances for Newcastle United before dropping into the second tier, initially on loan at Swansea City and Bournemouth, before he joined Preston North End permanently in June 2022. Woodman was 28 when he moved to Anfield. Robertson helped him adjust to the new environment and drastically different expectations.
Robertson’s game time dropped after Milos Kerkez arrived from Bournemouth last summer for £40m. Robertson had a healthy relationship with his positional rival and will aim to strike up a similar dynamic with Destiny Udogie.
Andy Robertson had to battle for minutes after Milos Kerkez arrived at Liverpool (Michael Steele/Getty Images)
“Andy helped me a lot throughout my first year,” Kerkez told a group of reporters, including The Athletic, during Liverpool’s pre-season tour. “He’s a legend. He’s someone I look up to. We had a few conversations about crossing and about how big lungs we need to have so we can run until tomorrow. Where to put the last ball, to stay focused, to get your head up and sometimes put better crosses in. We had chats like that. He was a big help.”
Robertson also had a strong connection with the backroom staff members at Liverpool’s training complex. This year, they took him on a tour of the traditional pubs in Liverpool’s Georgian Quarter. He pulled a pint in Ye Cracke and the evening finished with a meal at Cucina di Vincenzo, an Italian restaurant.
Robertson enjoys horse racing and organised trips to the Cheltenham Festival. He would offer spaces in his Anfield executive box to staff and their families. When his departure was finally confirmed, Robertson wrote individual letters to members of staff by hand and gave them signed shirts.
Robertson also supported and comforted team-mates and other staff around the club following Diogo Jota’s death in July 2025. The pair were close friends, and Robertson had attended Jota’s wedding to his long-term partner, Rute Cardoso, just 11 days earlier with his wife, Rachel. Robertson’s kindness and emotional intelligence stood out at a difficult time.
Before Robertson could start the next chapter of his club career in north London, he captained Scotland at this summer’s World Cup. He started all six of their qualifiers and provided the assist for Scott McTominay’s goal in a crucial 2-1 victory over Belarus, as Scotland reached the tournament for the first time since 1998.
When Scotland’s squad arrived at their base camp for the World Cup, Robertson left a handwritten letter to every single player in their hotel room, along with gifts. He started all of their games but they were eliminated in the group stage.
Andy Robertson has worn the armband for Scotland since 2018 (Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Robertson was given the armband in 2018, when he was only 24, under then-manager Alex McLeish, and retained it following Steve Clarke’s appointment the following year. Robertson made his debut for Scotland a week before his 20th birthday and is second on the all-time appearances list (97, behind Sir Kenny Dalglish on 102).
In north London, Robertson has made a positive impression on his new team-mates and staff. Spurs finished 17th in consecutive seasons and have lost 41 of their last 80 league games. De Zerbi thinks Robertson can play a crucial role in breaking that cycle.
“I believe in him as a player, as a guy,” De Zerbi said before Spurs beat Charlton. “I want him to show his personality. We need his mentality as a winner because we have to get used to winning games and games and games.”
Beating his former side would be a statement victory that could kickstart Spurs’ season.
Additional reporting: James Pearce