Only Mohamed Salah has more assists in the Premier League than Antonee Robinson this season.
By Sam McGuire
There’s no shame in being the second best to the best player in the English top-flight. Being the best of the rest behind the three-time Golden Boot winner is some achievement. The Fulham full-back has arguably been the best left-back in the Premier League this term. His performances haven’t gone under the radar either.
The 27-year-old has been in the FotMob Team of the Week on four occasions. His last appearance was during Matchday 22 when he starred in the 2-0 win over Leicester City, earning himself an 8.1 rating.
His rise hasn’t been a traditional one.
Robinson didn’t make the cut at Everton having joined their academy at 11. He spent the 2017/18 campaign on loan with Bolton before joining their North West rivals Wigan, again on loan, for the following season. He impressed enough to get a permanent move there in 2019.
The USMNT international was there on a full-time basis for just one season before Fulham signed him for £2million. Looking back now, that is one of the best deals the club has ever struck.
Now into his fifth season with the club, Robinson is at the peak of his powers.
Speaking earlier in the season after the left-back caught the eye once again at Anfield in a 2-2 draw with Liverpool, Fulham boss Marco Silva heaped praise on his No. 33.
“What a performance. It’s really difficult to find one moment where he wasn’t at a really high level.
“Not easy to come here playing against a player like (Mo) Salah, the way normally they like to expose the left-back. We took that risk, to go one-v-one, many times. He was so brave, he was so assertive, he was so aggressive in the right way and he did it so, so well. He’s improving so, so quick in some things. I know him very well from Everton, but the way he’s improving in some set-ups, defensive set-ups, being much more brave in the way he faces one-v-one situations, the way he goes inside the spaces as well.
“And of course, again, two assists from a full-back at Anfield shows the quality that he has. I remember some seasons ago, even last season, many people were talking about his decision making, but already he’s the player from our team with more assists for sure. Being clear, what a performance from him. What a performance. Brilliant, unbelievable performance from him, and I told him at the end of the game that he has to be really proud.”
Robinson has scaled his game to new heights this term, as alluded to by Silva.
Last term, for example, he finished with six assists in the top flight. It was his best return in the Premier League too. Well, until this season. His performances earned him a FotMob rating of 7.2. He carved out 33 chances in the English top-flight and finished with an Expected Assists haul of 3.74.
Many wondered whether or not that season was a one-off. It turns out it wasn’t.
With 14 games left, Robinson is on 10 assists. No other Fulham players has more than three assists in the Premier League this term. Only Raúl Jiménez (11) has more goal involvements than the 50-cap international for the Cottagers. And Trent Alexander-Arnold, the player who reshaped how the full-back role is viewed, is the only defender (6.4) with a higher Expected Assists total this season.
Robinson is posting elite attacking numbers for a full-back. He’s already matched his chances created tally (33) from last season and he’s almost equalled his Expected Assists haul (3.08). He’s comfortably the highest rated FotMob Fulham player with an average of 7.52.
In the eyes of many, he’s too old for a move to a top club now. He’s 28 in August. But there’s been nothing traditional about Robinson’s career so far, what makes you think it’ll conform to the usual career path now. He’s showing he should be playing at a higher level and there are top clubs in the market for a left-back this summer. Premier League leaders Liverpool, for example, need a successor to Andrew Robertson. After years of flirting with a move away from Craven Cottage, maybe this summer will be when the full-back finally departs and gets to perform at an even higher level.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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