Prior to arriving at Anfield for an incredible £29million this summer, Roberto Firmino was a player many a football fan from far and wide had previously cast their eye over.
The 24-year-old attacker was seemingly on course to becoming Brazil’s latest emerging hope on the back of his nation’s stark World Cup disappointment in the summer of 2014 – and when Liverpool eventually moved for the South American earlier this year – the potential was definitely in place for something special to happen.
However, as Reds fans must already be keenly aware of by now, ‘big potential’ rarely turns into anything more meaningful without an adequate management system in place – even if tons of resources have been thrown around in the process.
Roberto Firmino has subsequently looked nowhere near the player many had expected to witness upon his initial introduction within the English game, with several current Liverpool supporters likely second guessing their club’s bold decision to land the Brazilian in the first place.
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With such a reputation damaging notion in mind for the former Bundesliga favourite then, can Liverpool’s latest high profile foray into the transfer market finally come good in the Premier League this season, or is Roberto Firmino ultimately not cut out for the testing nature of the English top-flight?
Well, had Brendan Rodgers not been recently sacked at Anfield and replaced by the much more captivating figure of Jurgen Klopp, then the future of Roberto Firmino on these here shores could have been a great deal more touch-and-go to say the very least. The now ex-Liverpool boss may have expressed a promising desire to play football the right way during his time on Merseyside – but let’s face it – the man was simply inept when dealing in the transfer market.
When the signing of Roberto Firmino was finalised at Anfield this summer, it didn’t take much to spot the usual Rodgers hall-marks strikingly present behind it all. The overpriced transfer fee and the sincere lack of consistent top-flight experience, arguably offering nothing more than just the mere hope that he’d help save Liverpool from their long-term spiral away from sustained Premier League success…
However, with Jurgen Klopp now firmly in place among the Liverpool dug-out, the undoubted potential lingering within the Reds’ latest Brazilian capture can possibly be reignited once again. The former Borussia Dortmund coach has a successful reputation in taking young talents and moulding them into something far closer to the finished article with all things considered.
The enigmatic German is a man clearly brimming with confidence in his approach – you can just see it in the way he carries himself on the touch-line and in post-match interviews. It therefore doesn’t seem unreasonable to suggest that the current Liverpool squad are bound to benefit from Klopp’s impressive sense of composure sooner rather than later.
Roberto Firmino must now take encouragement from his current situation at Anfield, for he has all of a sudden found himself with a second opportunity to impress the Reds faithful. He once proved deadly in the Bundesliga via his daring approach in the final third and undeniable technical ability in front of goal, and as those days really weren’t all that long ago for the 24-year-old, the quality is still there if Jurgen Klopp can eventually get it out of him.
After all, the emerging South American has only just got his first sizeable taste of Premier League action. Many players – each sporting their own unique set of glowing reputations – have failed to make an impact in England almost immediately. Sometimes these things just take a little pushing in the right direction for the good times to follow.
Liverpool bought Roberto Firmino for a reason. He may not be worthy of such an inflated transfer valuation, but now would ultimately be the wrong time for the Reds to turn their back on their latest expensive gamble, and fail to offer him the level of management someone with his clear promise certainly deserves. He therefore still has every chance of impressing at Anfield this term, as long as his manager and fans continue to back his cause…
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