With the signing of Cody Gakpo announced on Boxing Day, January was a quiet month for Liverpool in terms of potential signings. Many fans waited anxiously for news of a late-window swoop, but as Jürgen Klopp stated, there were no further incomings at Anfield.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita are coming to the end of their contracts and are expected to leave at the end of the season. Fan favourite Roberto Firmino is in the same boat, but the Liverpool Echo’s Ian Doyle (recently seen on Redmen TV’s Transfer Insight Show) reported the Brazilian’s agent has held ‘really good talks with Liverpool’ over a potential extension to his deal.
On the latest episode of our Journo Insight Show, we asked goal.com’s Neil Jones for his opinion on Bobby’s future.
Neil said:
“The manager wants him to stay. He’s on record as saying he wants him to stay. We know what Jürgen thinks of Firmino and his importance, what he’s still got to offer. He isn’t that old, 32 this year. He still looks good. He’s Liverpool’s joint top league goalscorer this season with Salah. He’s got something to offer. I think it depends on what else is out there.
“It looks like there’s a good chance that there is an agreement reached between Firmino and Liverpool and he hangs around.
“It would be nice to know that Liverpool would have six forwards available, plus whatever youngsters. It would be nice to go into next season knowing that that’s pretty much taken care of.
“I think if you had Firmino, Salah, Nuñez, Gakpo, Jota, Díaz, I think you would go in going: ‘that’s all bases covered’.”
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At the start of the season, it looked very much like 2022/23 would be Firmino’s last in a red shirt. His return to goalscoring form and the relatively few opportunities afforded Fabio Carvalho have meant that the prospect of him staying has become more realistic in the last few months. At his best, he still offers something that no other Liverpool attacker can offer as a facilitator, the ‘glue’ in the Reds strike force.
Jürgen Klopp recently bristled against accusations of being ‘too loyal’ to his senior players, with many observers questioning the decision to award Jordan Henderson a four-year deal at the age of 31. If Bobby can be convinced to sign a contract of one or two years, having him as one of a six-man attacking unit seems like a good option in the short term. It has been suggested that Cody Gakpo may be being groomed to replace the gleaming-toothed Brazilian in the long term. Who better to learn the role off than the man himself: our number nine?
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