Former Liverpool manager and beautiful human being Brendan Rodgers had to be bribed to sign Roberto Firmino with Christian Benteke!
I know, I know. I can’t really believe it either, but Simon Hughes of the Independent spilled the beans in his recent piece on Rodgers and his time with the Reds.
Benteke was the man Rodgers wanted, as the gaffer was looking for a target man, and the Anfield hierarchy only went along with it because they constructed a deal.
As long as Brendan didn’t get in the way of the Firmino signing, they said, the manager could have his man in Benteke.
Just look how that turned out for Liverpool, Firmino, Benteke and Rodgers. After signing Benteke from Aston Villa in July 2015 for £41.85 million, the Belgian scored just 10 goals in 42 appearances and clearly wasn’t suited to the club’s style.
A crippling lack of self confidence in front of goal did Benteke no favors either and the former Villan struggled to find his previously electric Premier League form and was sold to Crystal Palace in August 2016 for a cut-price fee of £28.08 million.
Of course, the fortunes of Firmino went in the opposite direction as the Brazilian established himself as one of the best forwards in the league.
He also signed for a large fee (£36.90 million) and has since hit 61 goals in 180 appearances, with 40 assists. Firmino is crucial to how Jurgen Klopp plays his football, and you saw his importance when the former Hoffenheim man came off injured against Manchester United.
With Rodgers now back in English football thanks to Leicester City, we’ve got his unique soundbites to look forward to. Best of luck to the lad, but be careful with your striker signings!