Almost as soon as Jurgen Klopp was appointed Liverpool manager back in October 2015, speculation started to swirl over who the former Borussia Dortmund coach would bring with him from the Bundesliga. Marco Reus, Mario Gotze and Nabry Keita have yet to pitch up at Anfield, but a few have made the switch from Germany in the time since.
However, the former Bundesliga star who has made the biggest impression under Klopp was already at the club when he arrived. Roberto Firmino has become Liverpool’s figurehead over the past two seasons, with the former Hoffenheim forward used as something of a number nine to great effect for much of the 2016/17 campaign.
With Mohamed Salah ceremoniously handed the number 11 shirt upon signing from Roma, it seems likely that Firmino will now wear the number nine shirt to match the role he fulfills for the Anfield side, underlining the way in which Klopp views him as the Reds’ frontman and primary goal-getter.
Klopp has long been a fan of the Brazilian, expressing his surprise that Liverpool were able to sign him for as little as £29 million. “The first thing I did when I left Dortmund, I took my phone and deleted all the numbers so I was not reachable,” he explained not long after taking charge on Merseyside. “So I didn’t speak to anyone to offer advice, about Firmino or anyone else.
“Nobody asked me about him but he was a player I thought was one of the best in the Bundesliga. So when I saw that Liverpool had signed him I thought, ‘How could Liverpool do this?’ They were not in their 100% best moment and other clubs would have spent more on him, so I thought, immediately, ‘What a good transfer for them.’ When I heard about it I thought they had made a good signing, because I felt pretty sure clubs would have paid a lot more for him.”
But for all that Firmino has undoubtedly made his mark at Liverpool, he remains an unorthodox number nine, only scoring 13 times in 42 appearances last season. Klopp uses the Brazilian for his movement and the options he presents in the final third. He is a dynamic forward, leading the line for a dynamic team.
Is that good enough for Liverpool, though? Having finished in the top four last season, qualifying for the Champions League, Klopp will be expected to take his team closer to a title challenge this season. That is the next natural step for the Reds given the progress they have achieved under the German up until this point.
Firmino is central to the entire identity of Klopp’s side, but could they used a striker who carries a little more goal threat? Liverpool are already one of the most potent teams in the Premier League, outscoring all but the top three last season, but is there a signing out there who could give them an even sharper cutting edge in front of goal?
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could be that player, given his stylistic similarity to Firmino. He scored 31 times in just 32 Bundesliga appearances last season, marking himself out as one of the most reliable strikers in Europe right now. Liverpool would have to pay a club record fee to sign him, with a move to the Chinese Super League reported to be on the cards for the Borussia Dortmund man, but for that money they would get a difference-marker. A match winner.
Whether Firmino is truly that player is debatable. Under Klopp, he has flourished into a talent well worth his place in the Liverpool lineup, but the Reds will have to improve all over the pitch if they are to challenge for the title this season. That might include up front.
