Roberto Firmino is weighing up his options after playing his final game for Liverpool but Cristiano Ronaldo has already sent him a very clear message about one move.
Roberto Firmino’s time at Liverpool has come to an end, but his next destination is yet to be decided. The Brazilian has played his final minutes for the Reds, but where he goes next remains to be seen.
In his years of service, Firmino has undoubtedly achieved an indelible status at Anfield. Having won everything possible at the club and having been together with Jürgen Klopp from the beginning, he has become representative of one of the brightest eras of Liverpool’s long history.
But with Firmino set to turn 32 years old in the first few weeks of next season, the time to leave was now. He has done everything he can at Liverpool, and with the club in the process of a complete rebuild, it’s understandable that Firmino would want to move onto a new challenge knowing he no longer represents the future at Anfield.
Where that new challenge will take him is going to be interesting. But for the interest of Liverpool and himself, it’s going to be important that he makes the right decision. He may be turning 32 years old, but as he has shown this season, with 18 goal contributions in 35 games, he’s still got plenty left to give at the top of his game.
Recently, reports have claimed that he has attracted interest from Saudi Arabia to join Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr. CBS Sports’ Ben Jacobs told Caught Offside that Saudi Arabian sides are keen on signing Firmino in March, with the Brazilian named on a list along with Sadio Mane of players that the region would like to acquire. Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg has reported on Saudi interest too.
While Firmino would no doubt receive a lucrative offer considering his current age (comparable to the one that Ronaldo has got, worth around $75m (£60m/€70m) per year, according to Jacobs), the Brazilian would be wise to avoid any such move. Ronaldo’s recent move to Saudi Arabia has shown players only move to clubs like Al Nassr at the twilight of their career.
Ronaldo moved to Al Nassr because most clubs in Europe were not interested in him. After having been released by Manchester United, it seemed like a move out of desperation. The fact that, according to Jacobs, Al Nassr are also interested in Sergio Ramos who is set to turn 37 years old later this March and is in a similar boat to Ronaldo, should send a clear message to Firmino.
The Saudi Arabian league might be in development, but right now only those players at the very end of their careers are moving there. In the future that might change. However, for now, as long as Firmino still has a lot to offer on the European scene, he must stay in Europe.
Jacobs claims teams like Bayern Munich and Inter Milan would be interested in him as well, and those moves seem more appropriate for Firmino at his current age — indeed, he says that a move like that would be the player’s preference. They are also moves that should suit Liverpool, as would Barcelona, who the Daily Mail reported last month that Firmino had ‘agreed’ to join.
In recent years, Liverpool has developed a reputation for selling or letting players go at the ‘right time’. The main reason for that has been the fact that players have struggled to make an impact at big European clubs after leaving Liverpool.
Emre Can struggled at Juventus, for example. Gini Wijnaldum wasn’t able to make an impact at PSG, and Philippe Coutinho couldn’t cut it at Barcelona. The jury is out on Sadio Mané at Bayern Munich (though the German side, BILD reports, has put him up for sale, which is probably indicative), but it’s clear Liverpool needs more positive reaffirmations of their players when they leave the club.
In recent years, the Reds have struggled to offload assets for prices they deem appropriate probably because they have been a victim of their own success. Clubs are clearly reluctant to invest big money in Liverpool players purely because of their track record after leaving Anfield.
Just take a look at the example of Taiwo Awoniyi: Liverpool sold him on the cheap to Union Berlin and the German giants then almost sold him for triple the price to Nottingham Forest a year later. In other circumstances, those profits could have gone into Liverpool’s pockets.
More than ever, Liverpool needs a positive transfer story, and Firmino moving to Al Nassr or another Saudi team would only be more negative reaffirmation of the fate of those who leave the club.
Instead, Liverpool’s interest should be in seeing the Brazilian flourish elsewhere in Europe, even if that is bittersweet. In the long term, it could provide a major transfer boost for the club.
