Scotland skipper lifts lid on Liverpool journey, axed Sunderland move and why he chose Spurs deal in summer

Robertson, 32, had been linked with various clubs on the continent, including Atletico Madrid, after revealing his intention to depart Anfield after nine trophy-laden seasons with the club in April, while boyhood club Celtic were also touted as a potential destination for the experienced international.

However, in an exclusive interview with the Stick to Football podcast, Robertson has revealed that there was only one reason he wouldn’t have signed for the North London side this summer, as he discussed his career so far with ex-pros Jamie Carragher, Gary Neville, Ian Wright and Jill Scott.

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Asked when he was leaving, Robertson said: “I nearly left in January. I didn’t want to leave. Tottenham came in for me, who were bang in trouble at that point, but it was never in my plan to leave in January. I had six months left, and the World Cup [to come] and everything. So I needed to kind of look at that. The January time it started to become real. That’s when I came to peace with it, really.

“It was always Tottenham, as long as they stayed up. I didn’t quite want to go to the Championship. I then ended up getting invested in Tottenham games. When [Roberto] De Zerbi came in, I was fully confident they weren’t going down. But as long as they stayed up, it was always going to be Tottenham. They showed their interest first, and they really wanted me. I was happy with how much they wanted me really.

“They’ve had a couple really tough seasons with how they’ve finished in the league, and they’ve now, to be fair, had a go in the market. They’ve went and spent a bit of money. I think Tottenham are now beginning a journey. Now, I don’t know how far that journey will go, no one does. But the determination within that group. You can see last season hurt them. It’s rare that you make 10 new signings, but that’s what the manager wants, for us all to drive it forward because we don’t have the baggage of last season.”

Robertson, whose professional career began with Dundee United in 2013 after a short spell with Queen’s Park, chatted about his career trajectory with the show. Discussing his time in the Scottish Premiership, the Scotland skipper revealed how his departure from Tannadice came to fruition and how it eventually led to Liverpool, where he became a true fan favourite after winning the Champions League, two Premier League titles and seven other trophies during his time on Merseyside.

“In that January, I nearly left Dundee United,” said Robertson. “Everton put a bid in for me, and Roberto Martinez came up to watch me. But they didn’t bid enough. They bid £750k, Dundee United wanted £1.5million at the point. It was a good decision from them, because they ended up getting £2.85million for me in the summer.

“I knew the Hull scout Stan Ternent had came and watched me against Hibs. He sat next to my agent, and he closed his book of notes after five minutes. My agent said he didn’t think Hull were going to be an option, and Stan said ‘no, I’ve seen enough [to sign him]. I just got that feeling. I had 20 minutes with Steve Bruce, and that was it.”

“In January 2013, things weren’t looking good for Hull. Thankfully we got Marco Silva in who nearly saved us. At that time, I think Burnley and Sunderland came in for me. But Sunderland were rock bottom at that point. My wife was 22 and we had just found out she was pregnant, so she was panicking. She was saying we need to protect our future. I told her to just trust me. Anyway, the window shut, and I stayed at Hull and I remember meeting my agent.

“Stoke were in for me at that point, but they were like 7th or 8th, and in the European positions. I told him I knew Liverpool were talking, that they were a top club, but there was no way...I needed to make another step [before joining them]. We were in the meeting for nearly an hour, and five minutes before the end, the chief scout from Liverpool phoned and said they wanted to meet me. Everything we’d spoke about was ripped up and I went to Liverpool.”