After Milos Kerkez sealed his move to Liverpool from AFC Bournemouth, Opta Analyst's David Seger looks at why he could be a perfect successor for current left-back Andy Robertson.
Liverpool have had to move on from an iconic full-back already this summer, with Trent Alexander-Arnold departing for Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong arriving to cover the right side.
There have been questions asked about the left, too, with rumours that Kostas Tsimikas could be leaving and concerns about Andy Robertson‘s ability to maintain the very high levels he’s shown since signing from Hull City back in 2017.
Robertson has seen his assist numbers dry up in the last two seasons, only managing four in total across 2023/24 and 2024/25 after recording 26 over the two campaigns prior to that. But that could be due to a change in style as much as inefficiency.
That said, overall criticism of the Reds’ first-choice left-back has felt quite harsh. Robertson played 45 matches for Liverpool last season, and 33 in the Premier League as they went on to win the title with relative ease. That would have been exceptionally difficult to do with a badly underperforming left-back.
However, with the Scot now 31-years-old and reportedly entering the final year of his contract at Anfield, it makes sense to plan for the present and the future. With Liverpool signing Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth, they appear to be doing just that.
'It was always Liverpool' | Kerkez's first interview
Kerkez arrived in the Premier League in July 2023 from Eredivisie side AZ and impressed in his first season, albeit he only recorded a single assist in his 33 appearances in all competitions for the Cherries.
He played more minutes (1,975) than any other under-21 defender in the Premier League in 2023/24, showing his dependability and how highly Andoni Iraola rated him. The Cherries boss gave his left-back even more licence to get up the pitch in 2024/25, in which he scored two goals and registered five assists in the league.
Kerkez’s numbers were also up in terms of chances created per 90 minutes (from 0.5 to 0.9), possession won per 90 (4.1 to 4.6) and interceptions per 90 (0.9 to 1.2).
The 21-year-old, who was born in Serbia but represents Hungary at international level, spoke to The Athletic earlier this year and explained how it took time to adapt to the Premier League, also emphasising the importance he places on defending.
“Last season helped me to experience the league and how it is, the speed and physicality of it,” said Kerkez. “The manager has trust in you and gives you time to adapt because he knows you have the quality and he knows it is just a matter of time until you pop out and start to do your stuff more.
“I like to be aggressive but in a sporting way – in a football way. I like to compete a lot. As a full-back, you have to do both [defend and attack], but first of all is your defensive game. If you’re not a good defender, you’re not going to play or compete for trophies.
“Last season I had to work on my defensive awareness, to not switch off. I now stay focused for the whole game and I believe I’m doing both pretty well this season.”
That dedication to defending will be music to Liverpool fans’ ears, especially those who are somewhat concerned about how open their team could be if new signing Frimpong plays at right-back, given his propensity for getting forward at every opportunity.
Looking at “true tackles” – made up of tackles, challenges lost and fouls when attempting a tackle – Kerkez has a 66.7 per cent success rate (52/78), losing only 14 challenges and committing just 12 fouls from them, which compares favourably to Robertson (60 per cent – 39/65) and Alexander-Arnold (55 per cent – 72/131).
His improvements going forward were apparent in November's Bournemouth’s 2-1 win over Manchester City, when Kerkez provided both assists for his team. First, he beat Phil Foden brilliantly down the left before cutting the ball back for Antoine Semenyo to finish, and then he played an inch-perfect ball across for Evanilson to double the lead.
Kerkez also showed his energy and composure in a dominant 4-1 win at Newcastle United in January. With the score 3-1 to the visitors in the sixth minute of stoppage time, the Hungary international sprinted forward to capitalise on some space in the Newcastle half, before collecting the ball, taking on Kieran Trippier and firing past Martin Dubravka.
Kerkez's goal v Newcastle
That burst of energy was no outlier, either. Kerkez recorded the fourth most sprints in the Premier League last season, with 845, behind only Daniel Munoz's 905, Antonee Robinson's 876 and Bryan Mbeumo's 870.
His ability to get up and down the left flank could see him provide plenty of deliveries for Liverpool’s forwards; only Fulham’s Robinson (170) and Tottenham Hotspur’s Pedro Porro (133) recorded more than Kerkez's 132 open-play crosses in the Premier League in the season just gone, with Robertson making 85. Robinson, with 42 successful open-play crosses, was also the only player to record more than Kerkez’s total of 35 in England’s top flight in 2024/25.
A significant number of those came from his tendency to make either overlapping or underlapping runs when his team are in possession. In the Premier League last season, only two players made more overlapping runs than Kerkez (66), while no one underlapped more often than him (52).
Robertson also ranked highly for both (33 overlaps – 10th most, 39 underlaps – seventh most), so having the energy to run beyond the defensive line is certainly something Arne Slot wants from his left-back.
It’s not just runs off the ball to receive a pass where Kerkez is threatening, though. On the ball, he’s able to progress play forward through his ability to drive upfield.
Only 12 players recorded more than his 144 long progressive carries (carries that move the ball at least 10 metres upfield) in the Premier League in 2024/25; that’s an average of 3.9 per 90 minutes, more than Robertson’s 3.2 and the 2.4 of Tsimikas.
One area in which Kerkez may have to adapt is distribution. He is moving to a team that values possession, yet completed just 80.4 per cent of 36.4 passes per 90 minutes for Bournemouth in 2024/25. Granted, a degree of that will be because Bournemouth play so often in transition and aim to get the ball forward as quickly and as often as possible. For instance, 37.2 per cent of their passes in 2024/25 were forward, the third-greatest proportion in the division, and those passes are inherently harder to complete.
But for comparison, Robertson averaged 88 per cent from 55.7 passes per 90, while Tsimikas averaged 91.1 per cent accuracy from 56.7 passes per 90.
He may adapt seamlessly, but either way, there’s a philosophical difference between his former club and new employers, and that could take some getting used to.
Nevertheless there’ll be an expectation that Kerkez influences the game in offensive areas, and that shouldn’t be a problem. Among Premier League defenders to play at least 1,000 minutes in 2024/25, only four – Rico Lewis, Josko Gvardiol, Jurrien Timber and Alexander-Arnold – averaged a higher proportion of their successful passes in the opposition’s half than Kerkez (58.8 per cent). That shows just how advanced Kerkez gets and where on the pitch he’s attempting to link with team-mates.
Kerkez v Robertson 24/25
| Statistic | Kerkez | Robertson |
|---|---|---|
| Matches played | 38 | 33 |
| Touches per 90 | 61.0 | 76.9 |
| Passes per 90 | 36.4 | 55.7 |
| Passing accuracy | 80.4% | 88.0% |
| Open-play crosses per 90 | 3.6 | 3.1 |
| Successful open-play crosses per 90 | 0.9 | 0.8 |
Still only 21, Kerkez is certainly not the finished product, so keeping the experience and reliability of Robertson around may allow Liverpool to have the best of both worlds in 2025/26 as they attempt to fight on all fronts.
And on the subject of reliability, Kerkez was one of just six outfield players in the Premier League to start all 38 matches for his team last season.
Assuming Robertson sticks around for the last year of his contract, it’s unlikely Kerkez would be needed to start every game for Liverpool in 2025/26. But now that he's swapped Vitality Stadium for Anfield, his development will attract even more eyeballs over the next few years as he aims for the incredibly high ceiling that appears to be within reach.
