Liverpool fielded something of a patchwork side against Southampton in midweek, and though they had to weather the storm, in both senses of the phrase, Arne Slot’s remarkable campaign moved further forward.
The hard-fought Carabao Cup victory has set up a semi-final tie with Tottenham Hotspur in the new year, and given that Liverpool are atop the Premier League and Champions League tables, things could hardly be going any better.
Well, they could. They always could. The Reds have ceded ground in both of their recent top-flight matches, away at Newcastle and against Fulham at Anfield last weekend, having been reduced to ten men before 20 minutes were on the clock.
The culprit: Andy Robertson. The experienced left-back has been criticised throughout the campaign, and while he’s still a high-class player, there’s a growing sense that FSG will want to replace him sooner rather than later.
Why Liverpool need to replace Andy Robertson
Robertson has been nothing short of a stalwart since joining Liverpool from Hull City in 2017, signing for an astute £10m fee. His energy and dynamism have seen him defy the naysayers and forge a prosperous career at the heart of one of the most successful contemporary English sides.
Along with his alternate full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, Robertson’s creativity and ball-playing skills rewrote the job description and saw Jurgen Klopp’s system take a liftoff, with Reds writer Leanne Prescott once even hailing the Scotland skipper as a “Duracell Bunny.”
But he was afflicted by a damaging shoulder injury last term and has struggled to maintain his level under Slot’s wing, ditched for Kostas Tsimikas on several occasions and starting to fumble in big moments, conceding a few penalties and indeed being dismissed against the Cottagers.
Aged 30, Robertson might feel that he has plenty of mileage in the tank, but the tireless work that he has performed over so many years is bound to have reduced the engine’s throttle power.
Liverpool have hardly been scatter-spenders since Slot took to the helm, but there’s little question that when the time comes for action, replacing Robertson will be near the top of the agenda.
Liverpool transfer news
As per German reporter Christian Falk, Liverpool are thick in the battle to sign Alphonso Davies, with the Bayern Munich speedster out of contract at the end of the season.
Obviously, the caveat is that Real Madrid are also interested, but Davies earns a pretty penny at £178k per week and his lofty demands appear to have dissuaded the La Liga giants, as per Spanish sources.
He is set to become a free agent next summer and that is why he could be an attractive target for the Reds, who would not have to splash out a transfer fee to secure his services.
What Alphonso Davies would bring to Liverpool
What would Davies bring to Liverpool? Pace, and plenty of it. The Canada superstar’s electric rapidity is a remarkable thing, with an ever-present fleetness denoting his high technical quality too.
Bayern signed Davies from Major League Soccer side Vancouver Whitecaps for a fee rising to £17m in July 2018, which was a record for an MLS player, and a 17-year-old one at that.
Davies has stayed at Bayern throughout the entirety of the intervening period, his evident quality diffusing any notion of a loan spell to help him sharpen his tools.
In fact, the pacy defender has completed 216 appearances for Die Roten, notching 46 goal contributions and notably lifting five Bundesliga titles and the 2019/20 Champions League.
He’s a remarkable player, once described as a “machine” by podcaster Stefan Buczko, and still only 24, the Bayern ace could replace Robertson at Liverpool and serve as Slot’s number one for many years to come.
This all goes to prove that Liverpool would be getting their mitts on a left-back of immense talent, sure, but also one with an elite, title-winning mentality that amazingly has much room for further growth and success.
It will come as no surprise that Davies ranks among the top 2% of full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries (4.76) and the top 1% for successful take-ons (2.25) per 90, as per FBref, further highlighting the blistering energy that Slot would weave into his thriving side.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.
Of course, pace isn’t everything, but when assessing the Bavarian star’s metrics compared to Robertson’s across league matches in 2024/25, you can see that Liverpool’s man is lacking across the board, less threatening in attack and far less robust in defensive phases.
Matches (starts)
11 (10)
13 (12)
Goals
0
1
Assists
0
2
Touches*
69.5
84.2
Pass completion
88%
92%
Key passes*
1.5
1.6
Ball recoveries*
4.0
6.3
Dribbles*
0.2 (40%)
1.8 (51%)
Tackles + interceptions*
1.6
2.1
Ground duels (won)*
1.5 (50%)
4.9 (58%)
The pertinent question for those of a Liverpool persuasion would be whether Davies would be willing to prioritise Anfield with Real Madrid lurking. Los Blancos have their hesitations, but when a team engages in a transfer tussle with Florentino Perez, there’s rarely any surprise about the one to come out on top.
It’s curious that Robertson has adapted his game to a point where he averages only 0.2 dribbles per Premier League outing, something that is perhaps a by-product of the indefatigable displays across the best part of eight years.
Davies’ wage demands will see him rival the heaviest hitters at Liverpool on the bill, and that might prove to be a stumbling block for Richard Hughes and co. Nonetheless, the chance to sign one of the best left-backs in the world for free is an opportunity that simply can’t be passed up.
Having only signed Federico Chiesa in Slot’s first transfer window for a reduced £12.5m fee, it’s hardly as if FSG don’t have the money to spend on a high-profile superstar, one who could make a marked impact on Slot’s reign over the coming years.
It’s time for action. This would be a signing to show Europe that the Reds mean business, and are keen to turn their fast start to the season into an imperious run over a number of years.
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