Paul Robinson, a former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper, believes that Roberto Firmino would leave Liverpool after the signing of Cody Gakpo.
Gakpo, a 23-year-old, has joined the Reds after they paid PSV Eindhoven €42 million to recruit him to a six-year contract. The Dutch forward has been on fire this year. He has totalled 13 goals and 17 assists in 24 games played across all competitions.
Will Roberto Firmino leave after the arrival of Cody Gakpo?
While Liverpool would prefer that Firmino remains at the club, he assured Football Insider that the Reds would be OK if he were to go.
He said: “It’s obvious they want him to stay. The question is whether or not he thinks Gakpo’s coming will cause trouble. Does he want to keep playing for the rest of his career in Liverpool? Now that Gakpo is at Liverpool, there is a lot of competition for the forward spots.”
Robinson thinks Firmino is less crucial to the Reds now than he was before. The Brazilian forward has played in all 21 games this season. He has scored nine times and added four assists. According to the ex-Spurs goaltender:
“He’s still a great player, but he’s not as important to Liverpool as he used to be. He is no longer the only one who can do his job. A few seasons ago, he was. Gakpo has come in, and let’s not forget that they have a lot of good players to come back. It looks like Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz won’t be back until February or March. Firmino is no longer essential to the team.”
Jurgen Klopp on Liverpool transfer movements: "We've to collect money for a bit, then we can spend. That is how we work". 🔴 #LFC
Focus will be on new midfielder – but Liverpool are not intentioned to pay €120m for Enzo Fernandez as of today. pic.twitter.com/gADBGE1qRs
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 31, 2022
Then he said: “It will probably be a “take it or leave it” situation. They’ll be happy if he stays, but they won’t be too upset if he leaves.”
In 348 games with the Reds after his €41 million transfer from Hoffenheim in 2015, Firmino scored 107 goals and sent out 78 assists. His contract is up at the end of the year.
Klopp, manager of Liverpool, discusses the top-four chase
After a slow start, Liverpool has re-emerged as a threat to finish in the top four. After a strong run, Klopp’s squad is now in the sixth position in the Premier League, four points behind fourth-place Manchester United. The German coach gave his thoughts on the fight for a spot in the UEFA Champions League.
He lauded the top three teams in the league, including third-place Newcastle United, as well as Arsenal and Manchester United.
He said: “We all knew that Newcastle would be a big contender from now on. It’s clear that they are and both Manchester United and Arsenal are having great seasons.”
The German continued, saying that Manchester City’s competition included Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.
“City is City, so all of a sudden you have four teams occupying; Tottenham fighting hard; Chelsea still there.”
The Reds beat Leicester City 2-1 in a comeback victory on December 30, but it was by no means a sure thing. On Monday, they will play Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium (January 2).
