The Andy Robertson era is officially over. After years of bombing down that left flank, the Scotland captain has departed Anfield, leaving Arne Slot with a familiar puzzle to solve.

Milos Kerkez's arrival last summer was always the first piece of Liverpool's left-back rebuild. The Hungarian has settled into the role nicely, but every successful full-back needs proper competition breathing down their neck. That's where things get interesting.

Robertson's exit might have felt inevitable, but let's not forget he still racked up 34 appearances this season. The man started that historic Merseyside derby victory at Hill Dickinson and kept his place for last weekend's 3-1 home win over Crystal Palace, where he grabbed his 14th goal for the club. Slot clearly trusted him right until the end, which tells you everything about the standards any replacement needs to meet.

Step forward Kostas Tsimikas. The Greek Scouser is heading back to Liverpool this summer after his loan spell at Roma, with Slot confirming as much before that 2-1 win at Everton. But here's where it gets complicated.

Tsimikas has hardly set Serie A alight. Just 11 starts for Roma this season, completing 90 minutes only twice. Most concerning of all, he's been deployed as a wing-back rather than the traditional full-back role Liverpool demands. When you're struggling to nail down a spot in a system that doesn't even mirror what you'll face at your parent club, alarm bells should be ringing.

The 29-year-old did clock more than 1,700 minutes during Liverpool's title-winning campaign last season, so he's not completely without merit. That FA Cup-winning penalty and his genuine love affair with the city earned him plenty of goodwill from supporters. But let's be brutally honest here: if he couldn't permanently dislodge a Robertson who was clearly having his struggles at times, what does that say about his chances of pushing Kerkez?

Yet there's a case to be made for bringing him back. Slot has been crystal clear about Liverpool's sell-to-buy approach, and with greater needs elsewhere in the squad, spending big on left-back cover might not be the smartest allocation of resources. Tsimikas knows the dressing room, understands the culture, and wouldn't need time to adapt.

The question isn't whether Tsimikas is good enough to be Liverpool's first choice. It's whether he can provide the kind of competition that keeps Kerkez sharp whilst offering reliable cover when called upon. His Roma struggles suggest he might not be that player, but his history at Anfield and the financial realities facing the club might just tip the scales in his favour.

This decision will reveal plenty about Slot's priorities for the coming season and whether Liverpool are willing to gamble on familiarity over fresh blood.