Andy Robertson has said the summer signings who cost Liverpool £450m will go on to have “unbelievable” careers at Anfield and believes the club he is leaving will have a bright future.
The left-back feels that, despite Liverpool’s heavy spending, they are only at the transition stage and thinks that senior players like himself have to share some of the blame for their inconsistency this season.
But while Liverpool paid a club record £100m for Florian Wirtz and then a British record £125m for Alexander Isak, Robertson, who was an £8m bargain when he arrived in 2017, insists his teammates should not be judged on their transfer fees.
Alexander Isak has struggled for form and fitness since arriving at Liverpool (Reuters)
Liverpool, who were Premier League champions last season, are yet to secure a top-five finish, and Robertson, who is out of contract in the summer, could play his final game against Brentford on Sunday as his nine-year stay on Merseyside comes to an end.
The Scotland captain goes after winning nine major trophies, including two Premier Leagues and the Champions League in 2019.
He said: “In terms of the club that I am leaving behind I think we are not at the 2017 stage, we are at the transition stage.
Andy Robertson will bid farewell to a Liverpool side in transtion this summer (PA Wire)
“But then the season has been up and down, it has been inconsistent. We bought players that we all got excited about, and they will all have an unbelievable career at Liverpool. I have no doubt about that. But they are also young.
“The one thing I get annoyed about in football is that footballers do not control their price tag. We don’t control it, the market controls it. If a team is willing to pay it or they want to sell you and they put a price tag on you - that has nothing to do with the players and these players will be successful for Liverpool.
“I have seen more than enough in training and in games and their attitude that they will be successful. But it has shown that they probably need a little bit of time. And then some players who have played at a ridiculously high level, we haven’t played to that level. If you add all that in then we have had an inconsistent season and that is the huge frustration for us.
“We have tried to search for consistency, we have tried to search for answers this season and we have not managed to find it. And we have been too easy to play against. There is no hiding away from that but for the future of Liverpool I believe they have more than enough in that changing room to go and achieve more things again.
Andy Robertson (left) helped Liverpool to Premier League success last season (AFP/Getty)
“That is what I want, that is what the club wants, that is what everyone wants. I believe they can be successful again and I wish it was this season and then I would have maybe added a trophy or two onto an already pretty impressive trophy cabinet. But it wasn’t meant to be and next season I think they will be right back at it.”
