Tottenham Hotspur are bottom of the Premier League after five games, with two points and no wins. Andy Robertson joined them on a free transfer in June, and he is one of four former Liverpool players at clubs in the bottom half of the table. Three of them play for teams in or just above the bottom three, the clubs at the sharp end of the Premier League relegation odds as October begins.
Andy Robertson, Tottenham Hotspur (20th)
Robertson joined Liverpool from Hull City in July 2017 for an initial £8 million. He made 378 appearances, scored 14 goals and won eight major trophies, including the 2018-19 Champions League and the Premier League in 2019-20 and 2024-25.
His Tottenham debut on 22 August ended in a 3-0 defeat at Brentford. A 2-0 home loss to Newcastle followed, then goalless draws with Nottingham Forest and Everton. Spurs scored their first league goals of the season against Aston Villa, but only after going 3-0 down, and lost 3-2.
That run has come after a summer spend of around £380 million under new head coach Roberto De Zerbi. Robertson returned to Anfield for the Carabao Cup third round in September. He came off the bench in a 3-1 defeat and was applauded by the Kop at full time.
Ben Gannon-Doak, Bournemouth (17th)
Gannon-Doak, then known as Ben Doak, joined Liverpool from Celtic in March 2022 for around £600,000 in training compensation. His league debut against Aston Villa on 26 December 2022 made him the youngest Scottish player to appear in the Premier League. He made only three league appearances for Liverpool.
Bournemouth signed him in August 2025 for an initial £20 million plus £5 million in add-ons, and Liverpool kept a buy-back clause. A hamstring injury picked up on Scotland duty needed surgery and limited him to eight appearances in his first season.
Bournemouth have three draws and two defeats under Marco Rose, who replaced Andoni Iraola. One of those defeats came against Liverpool on 20 September. Alexander Isak scored the only goal in the 57th minute on Iraola’s return to the Vitality Stadium.
Taiwo Awoniyi, Coventry City (18th)
Awoniyi never played a competitive game for Liverpool. He signed from the Imperial Soccer Academy in August 2015 for around £400,000. Work permit problems then led to seven loan spells in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium before Union Berlin bought him for £6.5 million in 2021.
He scored 21 league goals in 90 games for Nottingham Forest, including the winner against Liverpool in October 2022. Coventry paid £9 million for him on 17 August.
Coventry are back in the top flight for the first time in 25 years. They lost their first four league games without scoring, including a 5-0 home defeat to Brighton. Awoniyi was sent off in the 53rd minute of that game, the first red card of his Premier League career. A 1-0 win at Forest on 19 September gave Coventry their first points.
Neco Williams, Nottingham Forest (13th)
Williams joined Liverpool’s academy in 2007. On his debut against Arsenal in the League Cup in October 2019, he set up a last-minute goal for Divock Origi. He made 33 appearances and won the 2019-20 Premier League title and the 2019 Club World Cup.
Forest paid around £17 million for him in July 2022, and he was named their Player of the Season for 2025-26. Forest drew 2-2 at Anfield on 29 August but lost 1-0 at home to Coventry three weeks later.
Forest are 13th with five points, two clear of the bottom three. Pre-season Premier League odds had promoted Hull City as favourites to finish bottom, but Hull are eighth, five places above Forest.
Two who left before the slide
Harry Wilson, another Liverpool academy graduate, turned down a new contract at Fulham after a career-best season of 10 goals and seven assists. He joined Leeds United on a free transfer on 8 July. Leeds are fifth, and Fulham are 19th without a win.
Harvey Elliott spent 2025-26 on loan at Aston Villa, who had agreed to buy him for £35 million once he reached 10 appearances. Unai Emery chose not to trigger the deal, and Elliott was stuck on five appearances from October onwards. Elliott is still a Liverpool player and is now on loan at Valencia. Villa are 16th with four points.
