Tottenham Stars Carrying 'Weight of Last Season,' Admits Robertson

Tottenham Hotspur players are still burdened by the negative experiences of the past two Premier League seasons, including a near-relegation scare last year, according to new signing Andy Robertson. The team currently sits at the bottom of the league table during the international break, with no wins, just two points, and only two goals scored in their first five matches.

Despite significant investment in the summer transfer market, with nearly £400 million spent, and the anticipation of a fresh start under manager Roberto De Zerbi, the expected improvement has not yet materialized. Robertson, who joined the club on a free transfer from Liverpool, acknowledged the team's struggles.

"They've had a couple of really tough seasons in terms of finishes in the league," Robertson said on the "Stick to Football" podcast. "They've had to go into the market in terms of they've spent a bit of money, but I do believe Tottenham are now starting a journey. I don't know how far that journey can go, nobody does, but the determination in that group is, like, you can see last season hurt them a lot. And maybe we're still guilty of carrying that weight of last season on our shoulders."

Robertson, one of ten new signings all possessing Premier League experience, was brought in to bolster resolve and maturity within the squad. However, the immediate impact on results has been minimal. The team's current performance is weaker than at the same point last season under De Zerbi, when they had secured 11 points from seven games.

"We need to forget," Robertson stated, referencing the detrimental effect of conceding the first goal in a recent 2-0 home defeat against Newcastle on the stadium's atmosphere. "We need to now try and get Tottenham back to where we believe they belong. And the fans are still carrying it as well, and you don't blame them. They've been through such a tough time."

He remains optimistic about signs of progress under De Zerbi, despite the team's current standing and an early exit from the Carabao Cup against his former club, Liverpool. "We need the first win, and once we get the first win, I think we'll be really good this season," he added.

Tottenham had attempted to sign Robertson in the January transfer window, but he was not prepared to leave Liverpool mid-season. "I didn't want to leave but Tottenham came in for me," he explained. "They were bang in trouble at that point. It was never in my plan to leave in January. I had six months left and I had the World Cup. But in January time, it started becoming real that I was going to leave, and that's when I came to peace with it, really. It was always Tottenham - as long as they stayed up! At that point, I didn't quite want to go to the Championship. So that was the thing, I ended up then getting invested in Tottenham, watching them and especially when De Zerbi came in, I was fully confident. They showed their interest first, and they really wanted me, and I was happy with how much they wanted me."

De Zerbi played a role in convincing Robertson to join, with multiple video calls over the summer. "He's super ambitious. He wants to be able to win trophies, he wants to be competing and things like that, and he knows it will take time, but he also knows that we need to start showing it sooner rather than later. He believes in the squad. And I believe in the squad. Even looking at the team we played against Liverpool in the cup… you've got so much quality, and so many good players, it's just we all need to show it as one, instead of maybe a bit of individual quality. We just need a little bit of luck, and we need a little bit more of forgetting about the past and how we need to move forward. I do think as the season goes on, we'll get better."