25 Jun 2015

Surprise Claim? Legend explains why £29m attacker is 'more effective than Coutinho'

Liverpool fans are buzzing over the imminent £29m signing of Brazilian maestro Roberto Firmino, but what will he bring to the team, and where is he likely to play?

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo today, Reds legend Dietmar Hamann raved about the signing of Firmino, and offered seven reasons why the Brazilian will be a 'big asset' for the club:

* Very skillful with good finishing ability.

* Has the 'strength and the mentality' to thrive in the Premier League.

* 'Stronger' and 'more direct' than Coutinho, and won't be 'bullied'.

* Will create chances for others and score goals.

* Good pace and can beat a player one vs. one.

* Will be better out wide for Liverpool and will be 'more effective than Coutinho' out there.

* More of a 'European than a Brazilian mentality'.

£29m is a bif fee, but Hamann insists that Firmino is worth it:

"To attract the best you have to pay big money. If Liverpool get £50million for [The Mercenary] and invest half that in Firmino, the club will have made their best business in a long time"

Totally agree with that. £50m for Sterling is laughable, but if some deluded club is willing to pay such a ludicrous fee, then bring it on.

After being fleeced on so many transfers over the last few years, it'll be nice to see Liverpool rip-off one of their main rivals.

I just can't understand it: in what universe is Sterling worth £20m+ more than Firmino?

When it comes to specific, measurable impact, The Brazilian blows Sterling away. Sterling burst onto the scene during the 2012-13 season, so taking their stats from that time:

* Sterling: 23 goals/25 assists (48) in 129 games (Goal/assist every 2.7 games | Scores/creates a goal in 37% of games)

* Firmino: 38 goals/32 assists (70) in 108 games (Goal/assist every 1.5 games | Scores/creates a goal in 65% of games)

Firmino consistently scores/creates more goals in FEWER games, yet Sterling - according to a recent CIES study - is worth €63m?

What a joke. Firmino didn't even make CIES' list of Europe's most valuable players; combine that with Sterling allegedly being more valuable than Luis Suarez (!), then it's easy to see why the CIES study has no merit whatsoever.

Insanely stupid transfer valuations aside, Firmino - on paper - is a fantastic replacement for The Mercenary, and hopefully, he'll prove that next season.

Author: Jaimie K


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