Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino responds to transfer links
Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino has expressed his desire to remain at Anfield despite one year remaining on his current deal.
The Brazilian has been with Liverpool since 2015, and sits two shy of a century’s worth of goals for the famous Merseyside club. And he’s insistent on staying put, owing his admiration to the place, team, and surroundings.
Firmino, 30, is fresh off accumulating under 30 Premier League appearances for the first time in a season. A hamstring injury, COVID-19 and a foot injury meant that Firmino only mustered five goals across 20 league matches.
That’s a meagre amount for a player that exalted brilliance on and off the pitch for the club for several years now. Alongside Mohamed Salah and the now-departed Sadio Mane, Firmino, the fulcrum, emerged as one of the pioneers in the stylistic framework of a false nine.
The trio, argued by many as one of the best until last season, saw Firmino flourish in a selfless, clever yet devastating role.
Reports emerged earlier stating that he could value a move away from Liverpool with the likes of Juventus interested. The bank-breaking arrival of Darwin Nunez probably pushes him down the pecking order as well.
However, he brushed them aside following his club’s smashing 3-1 victory over Premier League champions Manchester City.
Not only did he start, but also looked sharp with his movement and work rate. It’s been the same all pre-season for Firmino, leaving no doubt that there’s much more to come from the wily striker.
Speaking after the match, he confirmed, “I love this team, this city and the fans. I’m here. I want to stay of course.”
Klopp, who’s been an admirer of Firmino ever since they paired up at Liverpool, reiterated his importance in the dressing room and the pitch, of course. The German mentioned “Bobby is crucial for us, the heart and soul of this team, the way we played in the last years was only possible because of Bobby. That’s why I’m really happy he was able to train for the majority of the time here in pre-season so far. Everything looks really good so I am absolutely fine. There is no doubt about Bobby’s quality. All the rest we will see how this year goes but he is essential for us.”
With Nunez adding the cherry on top of a statement making victory in the Community Shield, will Firmino bag another valuable start against Fulham in Liverpool’s first PL fixture? That question could go a long way towards clearing up his role with the team both this season and beyond.
-Akarshak Roy
Twitter: @RoyAkarshak
Photo: Антон Зайцев. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.