Firmino signed for the Reds in the summer of 2015, prior to Klopp’s appointment as Liverpool manager.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp felt that the Reds got a bargain at the time they signed Roberto Firmino from Hoffenheim, the Daily Mirror reports.
Firmino joined the Reds in the summer of 2015 for a fee reported by the Mirror as being in the region of £29 million – and Klopp seemed surprised that other Bundesliga clubs didn’t try to keep him in Germany.
He is quoted in the Daily Mirror, saying: “When I left Dortmund, I didn’t speak to anyone to offer advice, about Firmino or anyone else. Nobody asked me about him, but yes, he was a player I thought was one of the best in the Bundesliga.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp with Roberto Firmino as he is substituted
“So when I saw that Liverpool had signed him I thought, ‘How could Liverpool do this?’ They were not in their 100 per cent 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 I pretty sure clubs would have paid a lot more for him.”
It wasn’t until Klopp’s appointment in October of the same year that Liverpool started getting the best out of Firmino. A back injury, along with being played in a position that seemed alien to the Brazilian meant he wasn’t showing his best form.
Klopp decided to use Firmino in the middle of the field more, either as the main striker or playing just behind them. While his performances perhaps never made anybody go ‘wow’, he did emerge as the Reds’ top goalscorer in the Premier League last season – despite scoring just the one goal in the first half of the season – in the 4-1 win over Manchester City.
Last season he scored a total of 11 goals in all competitions, and this season he has scored six from 15 appearances, and featured whenever he has been available. Klopp clearly regards him as a vital cog in his attacking set-up.
Bournemouth’s Jack Wilshere in action with Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino
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