Liverpool Eyes Andrea Cambiaso as Andy Robertson Replacement
Liverpool’s search for life after Andy Robertson has led them to Turin, and to one of Serie A’s most complete full-backs.
Andrea Cambiaso, the elegant, two-footed Juventus defender, has emerged as a serious candidate to inherit the left flank at Anfield, with Liverpool among a cluster of European heavyweights to have made enquiries over his situation.
Life after a ‘club legend’
Robertson’s departure at the end of the season, when his contract expires, will close one of the defining chapters of the modern Liverpool era. The club’s own website has already labelled the Scot a “club legend” – and with justification. Replacing that level of consistency, intensity and personality is not a routine recruitment job; it is a structural decision.
For now, Milos Kerkez holds the shirt. The Hungary international has impressed, but no elite side leans on a single option in such a pivotal role. Kostas Tsimikas, once the dependable deputy, has been pushed to the fringes and sent on loan to Roma by Arne Slot, a clear indication that his long-term future lies away from Merseyside.
So Liverpool have started to look outward. Their gaze has landed on Cambiaso.
A market scramble for Cambiaso
Italian journalist Mirko Di Natale reported that Liverpool have “enquired” about the Juventus and Italy international, placing them in a crowded field of admirers. Barcelona, Milan, Inter, Napoli, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur have all monitored the 26-year-old’s progress, according to Di Natale’s update on May 6.
This is not a niche scouting find. This is a player sitting firmly on the radar of Europe’s most powerful clubs.
Cambiaso has been under contract with Juventus since 2022 and tied down until 2029, a deal that hands the Italian giants significant leverage. His performances this season explain why they were so keen to secure his future early. Across 44 matches in all competitions, he has contributed three goals and four assists, but the numbers only tell part of the story.
He defends with discipline, drives forward with purpose and, crucially for modern systems, is comfortable stepping into midfield zones to overload central areas. For a coach like Slot, who demands fluidity and intelligence from his full-backs, that profile matters as much as any statistic.
Two feet, many roles
Cambiaso’s greatest weapon may be his versatility. He can operate as a traditional left-back in a back four, as a wing-back in a 3-5-2, and has even been trusted higher up or tucked inside. He is, in the truest sense, a modern hybrid.
AC Milan legend Mauro Tassotti saw it early. Working with Cambiaso at Genoa in the 2021/22 season, Tassotti watched a young defender who seemed to erase the usual boundaries of his position.
“I was immediately struck by Andrea’s ability to play both left and right. And above all his ability to kick with both feet,” Tassotti told La Gazzetta dello Sport in December 2023, admitting he still could not tell whether Cambiaso was naturally right or left-footed.
Tassotti went further, likening that ambidexterity to Paolo Maldini, while stressing the Milan great’s superior physical power and defensive dominance. The comparison underlined something important: Cambiaso is not Maldini, but he belongs in a conversation about full-backs who see the game in more than straight lines.
For Tassotti, Cambiaso is at his best as a wing-back who can drop in as a fifth defender in a 3-5-2, or function as a conventional full-back in a four. That positional elasticity fits the tactical trends sweeping through the Premier League, where full-backs invert, underlap, and often look more like midfielders in possession.
A mind built for elite football
Igor Tudor, who has coached both Juventus and Tottenham, added another layer to the picture when he assessed Cambiaso’s ceiling last year. He spoke of a player who reads the game like a midfielder even when stationed at full-back, drifting inside, feeling spaces, and adapting on the fly.
“He’s a top-level player,” Tudor said, while stressing the need for greater consistency. The Croatian was clear about the potential destination: clubs like Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester City, the absolute summit of the club game.
The message was blunt. Cambiaso has the tools. The rest is mentality.
Why Liverpool are interested
Slot’s Liverpool will need more than a like-for-like Robertson clone. They will need a defender who can overlap when the winger drifts infield, underlap when the play demands it, and step into midfield to help dictate tempo. They will also need someone who can survive the physical and tactical chaos of the Premier League from week one.
Cambiaso ticks those boxes. Two-footed. Tactically flexible. Comfortable in high-pressure environments after a season of scrutiny at Juventus. At 26, he is entering his prime, young enough to grow with a new project, old enough to handle the expectation.
Liverpool’s interest, then, is no surprise. The competition, however, is fierce, and Juventus hold a long contract that gives them time and power in any negotiation.
If Cambiaso is to be the man who replaces a “club legend” at Anfield, he will have to choose his next step carefully – and prove, week after week, that he belongs among the very best. The question now is simple: does he see his future driving down the left in red, with the Kop at his back?
