Roberto Firmino will leave Liverpool at the end of the 2022/23 season. The Brazilian forward has played for the club for 8 years but his contract will not be renewed at the end of the current campaign.
Firmino joined Liverpool from Hoffenheim for £29 million in 2015 and the 31 year old enjoyed a tremendous career with the Reds. However, at the age of 31, Firmino has decided he would like to move on and finish his career elsewhere.
Roberto Firmino has told Jürgen Klopp he will leave Liverpool when his contract expires this summer, per @Plettigoal pic.twitter.com/d1RYELaAEj— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 3, 2023
Roberto Firmino has told Jürgen Klopp he will leave Liverpool when his contract expires this summer, per @Plettigoal pic.twitter.com/d1RYELaAEj
This appears to be a decision made by the player rather than the club not wanting to offer Firmino a new deal. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp had said he wanted Firmino to stay with the club but following discussions about a possible extension, Firmino has decided it is time to move on.
The decision may be based on the fact Firmino’s playing time has been limited by the arrivals of Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, and Cody Gakpo. The Brazilian international has also been suffering from muscle injuries which have kept him on the sidelines more often than he would have liked.
The announcement of Firmino’s departure means he will be the second player of the Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane trio to leave Liverpool. Mane left the club to join Bayern Munich last summer and next season, Salah will be the only player from the most feared trio in European football to remain at Anfield.
Playing together, Salah, Mane, and Firmino helped Liverpool to win their first English league title for 30 years in the 2019/20 season and they also won the Champions League together.
Firmino was never talked about in the same way as Salah and Mane because he did not have the same goals and assists output as his fellow forwards. Firmino’s best goal scoring season in all competitions came in the 2017/18 campaign when he finished with 27 goals and 16 assists.
That was the only season during his Liverpool career Firmino scored over 20 goals and his second best season for goal scoring came in 2018/19, with 16 goals.
There is a chance, if given the opportunity, that Firmino could score more than that this season and it would be a fitting way to finish his career with Liverpool. Firmino was in good form earlier in the campaign and that is why Klopp is disappointed he has decided to leave.
Despite not having the devastating impact of Salah and Mane, Firmino was the man who allowed his fellow forwards to excel. Firmino was the player who would often lead the forward press and create space for his teammates.
Firmino’s intelligence and technique made him such an influential player for Liverpool and his ability to win the ball in the midfield areas and set the team going forward has been a crucial ingredient in Liverpool’s success. Firmino’s character and smile endeared him to the Liverpool fans and Firmino at his best, will be extremely difficult to replace.