Andy Robertson has opened up about his conversation with Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi, describing the Italian as a major factor in his decision to join the club.
The 32-year-old left Liverpool this summer after nine years at Anfield, where he won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, Super Cup and Club World Cup.
Robertson arrived at Hotspur Way this week following his involvement with Scotland at the World Cup and has been included in the 35-player squad for Tottenham’s pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand.
The left-back admitted his first day involved plenty of introductions, with the defender laughing off the challenge of learning his new teammates’ names around the training ground.
“I’m excited to be here,” Robertson said, insisting the move felt like the perfect opportunity at this stage of his career.
“It’s perfect for this time in my career and that’s why when the opportunity came up to join, I was excited to go for it,” he added, highlighting the club’s stadium, training facilities and supporter base as further draws.
Robertson acknowledged that Tottenham’s recent league form had fallen below the expectations of their fanbase but was clear about the determination he had already felt from inside the dressing room.
“There’s a huge determination to not allow that to happen again,” he said, referencing last season’s battle to stay in the division.
The Scotland captain is one of six new arrivals at the club this summer, joining Martin Dubravka, Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke, Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Robertson singled out De Zerbi as a central reason for making the switch, describing the phone call between them as a meeting of two professionals who were simply eager to work together.
“The manager is a huge pull,” Robertson said, adding that both De Zerbi and his staff impressed him with their clarity around the style of football they wanted to play.
“It was a great phone call. We know of each other — he knows me as a player, I know him as a manager and it was just more that we were excited to work with each other,” Robertson said.
With considerable experience now behind him, Robertson also spoke about the responsibility he feels to guide the younger members of the squad through what he hopes will be a memorable campaign.
“Hopefully I can use that experience to help the younger lads and the other lads as well,” he said, emphasising that everyone at the club was united around a single goal.
Robertson closed by pointing to the collective drive he had already witnessed from his first day, predicting it could amount to something significant by the end of the season.
“I can already see from day one that everyone is determined to bring the best level of their game and hopefully then that can produce special things for us this season,” he said.
