Has Roberto Firmino Lived Up to His £29 Million Liverpool Price Tag?
Brazilian international Roberto Firmino was one of Liverpool's most expensive signings of the 2015 summer transfer window, arriving on Merseyside from Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim in a deal worth up to £29 million.
Football writer Ben Smith told BBC Sport that the club were "genuinely delighted to have completed this deal with such speed."
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Made aware of Firmino's availability, and his interest in joining compatriot Philippe Coutinho at Anfield, Liverpool chief executive Ian Ayre travelled to the Chilean capital of Santiago, where Dunga's Brazil squad was preparing for a Copa America quarter-final clash with Paraguay.
According to the Liverpool Echo's James Pearce, Ayre's intent to move "swiftly and decisively" pushed the deal along quickly, and owners John W. Henry and Tom Werner sanctioned the second-biggest outlay of their time in charge—though this was soon surpassed by the £32.5 million spent on Christian Benteke.
Firmino officially became a Liverpool player days later, taking up the club's No. 11 shirt from the departing Oussama Assaidi, and made his first appearance for Brendan Rodgers' side in a 2-1 pre-season friendly win over Swindon Town.
Just under 10 months after sealing his move to Liverpool, Firmino has completed his first season with his new club—but has the 24-year-old justified his lofty price tag at this stage?
When he made the move to Liverpool, Firmino was something of an unknown quantity to supporters, having spent the majority of his senior career plumbing the depths of the Bundesliga after joining Hoffenheim from Brazilian side Figueirense in 2010.
In June, Bundesliga expert Marcus Christensen, writing for The Guardian, provided a comprehensive analysis of Firmino, portraying the attacker as the ideal addition to Rodgers' forward line in a post-Luis Suarez landscape:
"He is not an out-and-out goalscorer. He is a forward who averages roughly a goal every three games, and he has done that throughout his career.
What he does provide, though, is an unrelenting work ethic. In that respect, he is similar to Luis Suarez and Alexis Sanchez. He will harry and press the opponents until he drops. In one match report in Germany he was described as the "clever, first stealer of balls in Hoffenheim’s pressing system."
[...]
In fact he has been showered with praise for most of his time in Germany, the papers describing him as one of few players "who stay focused for the entire 90 minutes" and a "master of moving around without anyone noticing him, to provide goals or score them himself."
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Christensen whetted Anfield appetites by promising a hardworking attacking midfielder with great tactical intelligence and, despite his "eye-watering" price tag, immediate quality and significant scope for improvement.
However, Firmino's initial transition to life at Liverpool didn't come easily, with the so-called "master of moving around without anyone noticing him" ironically shrinking into the periphery as Rodgers struggled to coax consistency out of his side in the first months of the season.
Rodgers' go-to system when his side was out of form was based on a 3-4-2-1 system, with the attacking trio alternating roles and being supported by a pair of wing-backs and provided stability by a five-man core.
But while Firmino had proven himself a devastating central attacking midfielder during his time at Hoffenheim, scoring 49 goals and laying on a further 36 in 153 appearances for the club, he stuggled to find a role under Rodgers.
Firmino started just three of his six Premier League appearances under Rodgers, with only one of those six coming in his natural role—that being a 12-minute cameo on the opening day against Stoke City—and was usually shunted into a wide position on the right wing.
In September's 3-1 defeat away to Manchester United, Firmino even took up a role closer to that of a wing-back, with fellow summer arrival Danny Ings operating on the opposite flank as Rodgers looked increasingly out of ideas in the dugout.
Unsurprisingly, Firmino failed to score or assist in any of his seven appearances under Rodgers in all competitions, with a troublesome back injury hampering his final days under the Ulsterman on Merseyside.
"It was a short period [under Rodgers]. I considered him a great manager but I didn't get much playing time under him," Firmino told the Mirror's James Whaling in November. "When results don’t come along, it is a must to switch managers."
While he was restricted in terms of both role and minutes under Rodgers, Firmino was liberated following Jurgen Klopp's appointment in October, as he explained to Whaling in the same article:
"I think Klopp has the typical Germany mentality, which I am used to as I played for four years in Germany.
I do like his German methods, he concentrates and focuses on what he wants. I think he will help us. We are already getting what he wants from us.
He brings good vibes, we are on a positive path and we are always aiming high.
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From the off, it was clear that Firmino and Klopp would enjoy a fruitful understanding on Merseyside—as both were Bundesliga imports, purveyors of a high-intensity pressing approach and symbols of a new-look Liverpool.
Speaking to reporters including the Liverpool Echo's Andy Kelly shortly after his arrival in October, Klopp provided a glowing appraisal of Firmino's talents, having spent years watching his development in the Bundesliga while manager of Borussia Dortmund:
"Usually he plays in offensive midfield or second striker or he can come from the wing, he can play in the centre. He’s a pretty skilled player.
There was some time, I would say one year ago, when he was for a few months for sure the best player in the Bundesliga.
From the first day on everybody could see that he can be a very, very good player.
When I heard Liverpool took him, I thought "good choice".
"
From the offset, Klopp was clear in his use of Firmino—the Brazilian was primarily and most effectively a central player. Since the German's appointment, Liverpool's £29 million man has served as the Reds' first-choice central attacking midfielder, with Klopp relying on his refined skill set in a crucial role.
Perhaps most notably, this included a lengthy run operating as Klopp's No. 9, which saw standout performances away to Manchester City and Norwich City, and at home to Arsenal, in a spell that saw Firmino hone his talents in Klopp's hardworking forward line.
Between his two-goal performance against the Gunners in January and the hamstring injury that kept him out of March's 3-2 defeat away to Southampton, Firmino scored seven goals and laid on a further four in just eight league appearances.
This provided a succinct display of his talents, allaying the fears that had emerged within the Liverpool support following his slow start under Rodgers.
Since the return of Daniel Sturridge, and the continued improvement of Divock Origi, Firmino has been utilised in his natural role behind the striker, with Coutinho typically working off him on the left flank.
It is here that Firmino has established himself as key to Klopp's pressing game, and in 2015/16 the 24-year-old averaged just over two successful tackles per 90 minutes in the Premier League—more than any other Liverpool attacker.
As Christensen predicted, Firmino does "harry and press the opponents until he drops," but the former Hoffenheim forward's prowess in front of goal may have been a surprise, as he's scored 11 goals and laid on 11 assists in 49 appearances in 2015/16, averaging a goal every 151.2 minutes.
Only two players—Sturridge (13) and Coutinho (12)—ended the season with more goals, while only James Milner (14) registered more assists, highlighting Firmino's importance to Klopp's Liverpool squad.
In his first season in a new country, hampered by injury and a tumultuous managerial situation, Firmino has fared remarkably well, and Klopp will no doubt be looking forward to more from his star man next season.
However, a peripheral role in Wednesday night's UEFA Europa League final defeat to Sevilla, with Firmino substituted after 68 minutes during the Reds' 3-1 loss to the reigning champions, highlights room for improvement, most notably in big-game situations—but he has certainly justified his £29 million price tag otherwise.
Last summer, Liverpool and Manchester United were both vying to sign Firmino and Memphis Depay, with the latter opting to switch to Old Trafford in a move worth up to £31 million, according to BBC Sport.
This provides perhaps the most astute measure of Firmino's worth, and, stationed as Klopp's key attacker at Liverpool, he looks set to continue his development into one of Europe's best, vindicating Ayre's urgency and Henry and Werner's payout.
Statistics via Transfermarkt.co.uk and WhoScored.com.
