‘Exactly what they’re missing’: Ian Wright sends Liverpool transfer warning about £29m star

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Ian Wright has highlighted the importance of Roberto Firmino amid transfer rumours linking the Liverpool star to Juventus this summer.

The Highbury legend warned that when Firmino isn’t playing for Liverpool, he is ‘exactly what they are missing’, as he told ITV Sport.

Over the weekend, Firmino started Liverpool’s 3-1 Community Shield win over Manchester City and, to no-one’s surprise, he produced an outstanding display at the King Power Stadium.

That puts the 30-year-old in line to start the club’s Premier League opener at Fulham on Saturday, despite the arrival of Darwin Nunez, who scored in his first official game.

Nonetheless, when talking about Liverpool’s recruitment over the years, Wright bigged up the Reds and how they go about things in the transfer market.

“You look at the recruitment at Liverpool in the last few years and what they are doing,” said Wright. “They haven’t got much wrong.

“You are talking about a midfielder (possibly coming in), if that was the case, then Liverpool probably would have got that, so they haven’t got much wrong. They are chasing down a Manchester City side that they can’t afford to get it wrong. 

“You look at someone like Firmino, he doesn’t score as many goals, but what he gives the team when he drops off with Salah and Mane, going beyond him, it was brilliant. 

“Sometimes when he wasn’t playing, he was exactly what they were missing.” 

FIRMINO TO LEAVE FOR FREE?

Italian giants Juventus are the ones knocking on Liverpool’s door for Firmino, it was previously suggested that Klopp wants to keep him, despite the club seemingly agreeing to sell him.

Signed for £29 million in 2015 (BBC Sport), Firmino will go down as a club legend when he eventually heads for the exit door.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if that happens next summer because his contract does expire in 12 months and there aren’t many signs that he will put pen-to-paper on a new deal.

Jamie Carragher shared his thoughts on Firmino’s future ahead of the new Premier League season and the Anfield legend made it clear that he would rather keep the player and let him go ‘for nothing’, rather than secure a transfer fee for the player this summer.