Liverpool’s breathless start to the summer transfer window showed no sign of abating in the wake of Roberto Firmino’s £29 million switch to Anfield. The former Hoffenheim attacking midfielder – who became Brendan Rodgers’ fifth signing of the close season – recently shot to prominence with Brazil in the Copa America, netting the Selecao’s winner against Venezuela in the group stages of the tournament.
Discussing his move with the Hoffenheim official website, the 23-year-old vowed to nail down a starting berth with the Anfield outfit:
“First and foremost, I’m looking forward to the new challenge and I’m excited to see what the Premier League has to offer. Of course everything will once again be new to me at the start. I’m going to have to get used to a new playing style, but I’ll also get the opportunity to improve my game even further there. Obviously I’d like to establish myself as a starter in my new team and go on to celebrate a lot of success at Liverpool.”
The History
A Brazil native, Firmino was born in Maceio and started out at his local club, CRB (Clube de Regatas Brasil). Five years of training ensued, before he teamed up with Serie B (second tier of Brazilian football) outfit Figueirense in 2008. Firmino broke into the senior side in October 2009 and netted eight goals in 36 appearances during his one full season with the Hurricanes, who earned promotion into the top flight.
Firmino’s exploits in South America alerted a number of suitors across the Atlantic, with Hoffenheim shaking off the competition to land the midfielder on a five-year deal. Firmino joined at the midway point of the 2010/11 season and went on to net three goals in 11 appearances from an advanced central role.
Building on this solid foundation, Firmino tallied 11 goals and seven assists across the subsequent two Bundesliga campaigns. The 2013/14 season served up the greatest riches, though, with the Brazilian starlet amassing an impressive 16 goals in 33 league outings, ranking third in the scoring charts behind Marco Reus (30) and Robert Lewandowski (31). In addition, he registered 12 assists that term and bagged six goals in four cup fixtures.
Firmino’s final campaign at the Rhein-Neckar Arena produced ten goals and 12 assists across 36 appearances in all competitions. His laudable domestic displays were rewarded with a debut senior cap for Brazil in November against Turkey, which swiftly led on to his debut goal against Austria less than a week later. More recently, Firmino guided Brazil through to the quarter-finals of the Copa America with a close-range strike against Venezuela.
The Prospects
With the signing of Danny Ings and now Firmino, Rodgers is clearly searching for a solution to Liverpool’s relative paucity of goals last term, given that the Merseysiders chalked up 49 fewer without Luis Suarez spearheading their attack. Aside from netting 33 times in 73 outings over the past two seasons, the Brazil international also created more chances (138) than any other Bundesliga player over that stretch and directly contributed to 45 goals in his previous 66 appearances – illustrating his creative prowess.
As for his potential role within Rodgers’ set-up, Firmino primarily operated as a traditional number ten at Hoffenheim but was also comfortable lining up on the left flank – with Germany’s U21 star Kevin Volland on the opposing wing – or employing his pace as the central forward in a 4-3-3. It’s worth noting, however, that all seven of his league goals last season arrived when he was deployed in “the hole”.
With Raheem Sterling looking set for pastures new, Firmino is likely to be handed a central support role behind a lone striker, though as we saw last season, that could be in a 3-4-2-1 or 4-2-3-1 formation. The former system could see him twinned with Philippe Coutinho in the advanced roles, with Ings or, potentially, transfer target Christian Benteke spearheading the Reds’ attack until Daniel Sturridge finally recovers from injury.
On that note, Firmino’s impeccable injury record would doubtless have been factored into Liverpool’s thinking in light of Sturridge’s recurring layoffs. The Brazil international has missed just one league outing in each of the past three Bundesliga seasons, which suggests he’s made of sterner stuff that the former Chelsea striker when it comes to avoiding knocks and niggles.
It’s worth noting that Firmino and Coutinho were handed three weeks off due to their recent showings in the Copa America and still have another week or so before they link up with their team-mates.
At 8.5 in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, though, Firmino’s reputation clearly precedes him. Given that Coutinho sets you back 8.0 and Jordan Henderson – who could well be handed spot-kicks – comes in at just 7.0 along with another new signing, James Milner, there are certainly more budget-friendly options in the Liverpool midfield.
Nonetheless, Firmino’s record in Germany suggests he could wreak havoc in his new surrounds and afford the Merseysiders a much-needed spark in the final third. Whilst the Reds’ first three away fixtures look tricky (sto, ars, mun), Rodgers’ side are handed four very obliging home matches (BOU, WHM, NOR, AVL) in the opening seven Gameweeks which more than atone for those road trips and could easily see the new boy hit the ground running.
Further Reference
Roberto Firmino Wikipedia Page
