Robertson Says Teammates' Apathy Hindered New Signings After Jota's Death

Former Liverpool defender Andy Robertson has revealed that the team's struggle to integrate key signings Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz last season was a direct consequence of the squad's emotional turmoil following the tragic death of teammate Diogo Jota.

Jota and his brother Andre Silva were killed in a car accident in northern Spain in July 2025 while en route to Merseyside for pre-season training. The 28-year-old Portuguese international had been advised against air travel due to recent lung surgery.

In the same transfer window, Liverpool invested approximately £241 million in acquiring Isak and Wirtz. However, both players faced a challenging debut season, which concluded with the Reds finishing fifth in the Premier League, a performance that left them without silverware.

Robertson, who departed Liverpool for Tottenham Hotspur after a nine-year tenure, spoke candidly about the profound impact of Jota's death on the team dynamics during an appearance on The Overlap podcast. He described the atmosphere at the club as one of collective heartbreak, which made it difficult for the new arrivals to adapt.

"If I'm talking about football, it took them months to settle in because we didn't care about football," Robertson stated. "That was the truth of it because we just lost one of your best mates in the changing room."

Robertson, who was entering the final year of his contract at Anfield, shared that the team lost its competitive edge and determination on the pitch due to the grief. "I think all footballers we all have that edge, don't we? I think when you lose that edge sometimes, then you can't perform to your best. And I think last season we lost the edge," he explained. "When I look back on it, we lost that maybe determination a little bit, and things like that because I know at times we were going 'What's the point?' Look at what Jotsy's family are going through, look at his kids. But yeah, we were grieving as a group. It was our mate at the end of the day. He's not a footballer to us. He was a team-mate, he was a friend, he was an everything."

Jota's wedding to his childhood sweetheart Rute Cardoso took place just 11 days before the fatal collision. Robertson and goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher were among the attendees at the ceremony in Porto, Portugal. Robertson reflected on the immense difficulty of experiencing Jota's joy on his wedding day, only to face the devastating reality of his death the following week.

"For us, it was incredibly difficult," Robertson added. "I mean, the week before he died, I was at his wedding. That's one of the most difficult things you will ever go through. Seeing him on the happiest day of his life then the next week you are seeing his family torn apart."