14 May 2017

Done Deal: Liverpool reach agreement to sign 'incredible' £15m international; official announcement soon

Liverpool have reportedly agreed a deal to sign yet another player from the lower reaches of the Premier League.

Left-back is obviously a major transfer priority for Liverpool this summer, and according to The Mirror, Jurgen Klopp is taking the cheapskate route to replacing Alberto Moreno:

"Liverpool will announce the signing of Hull defender Andrew Robertson when the transfer window opens. Boss Jurgen Klopp has won the race to add the 23-year-old at left-back".

Some info about £15m-rated Robertson:

* 23-year old left-back. Contract expires: 2018.

* Hull City: 113 apps (15 goals/assists).

* Scotland: 14 apps.

* Injury History: Missed only 7 games in the last 4 years.

* Aug 2015: Scotland team-mate Steven Fletcher's assessment: "He [Robertson] has go great delivery, you see that when he's playing for Hull. He we will create a lot of chances and score a few goals."

* Oct 2016: Scotland boss Gordon Strachan raved: "At left-back, those three [Robertson, Tierney, and Wallace] have been incredible. They're as good as good as I've ever seen for a position".

If this is the level of player Klopp is targeting for next season, then expect another struggle to finish in the top four. As the last eight years shows, continually signing players from mid-table and/or relegation-threatened clubs = persistent 5th-8th place finishes every season.

After Swansea City (68 goals conceded), Hull have the worst defensive record in the Premier League (67 goals conceded). To put this in perspective: When Hull got relegated to the Championship in 2015, the team conceded 51 league goals for the entire season.

The most damning fact about Robertson is that he has significantly worse defensive stats than makeshift left-back James Milner, the guy he's replacing (!)

Tackles, blocks, interceptions, recoveries and duels

* Milner: 593 in 34 league games (One every 5 mins)

* Robertson: 464 in 31 games (One every 6 mins)

The disparity is particularly acute when it comes to tackles won (59 vs. 36); ground duels won (192 vs. 98), and aerial duels won (53 vs. 9). Milner is also superior to Robertson in several other key areas, including passing accuracy (80% vs. 76%); goals/assists (10 vs. 3), and chances created (53 vs 19). As for crossing accuracy: Milner is on 14% for the season, and Robertson is only slightly higher at 17%.

As much as I'd love to see another Scottish player at Liverpool, it's hard to understand why Klopp is trying to sign a defender who's an integral part of one of the worst Premier League defensive units of the last ten years.

Robertson is no upgrade on Milner, so what's the point in signing him?


0 Comments:

Post a Comment