Saudi flop Firmino makes transfer decision, Romano announces

Robin Bairner

• 18 Jan 2024 09:26 GMT
• 3 min read

Roberto Firmino has decided his future amid transfer rumours linking him with potential January moves to Manchester United, Chelsea and other Premier League clubs, football transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano has announced.

Firmino is one of several big-name players said to be unsettled since moving to the Saudi Pro League this summer, with the 32-year-old linked with a move back to Europe, despite having more than two years left to run on his contract at Al-Ahli.

Jordan Henderson is on the verge of joining Ajax and Karim Benzema is linked with some major Premier League teams, but Firmino will not be joining these players in returning to Europe, according to Romano.

Taking to his YouTube channel, he announced: “Despite recent rumours and many stories about Chelsea, Man Utd and many other clubs, Roberto Firmino is not leaving the Saudi Pro League during the January transfer window.

“The plan is very clear: everything has been discussed between Firmino and Al-Ahli and he’s not leaving.

“It was not an easy first part of the season for Firmino but the club don’t want him to leave and the player doesn’t want to leave the project. The expectation is to complete the season at Al-Ahli and nothing is changing despite the rumours.”

Firmino’s Pro League woes

While the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and even Benzema hit the ground running in the Saudi Pro League, Liverpool legend Firmino has found the going altogether more difficult.

Through 19 matches of the season, he has scored only three goals, all of which came on his debut against Al-Hazem.

Since then, he has fallen so far down the pecking order at the club that he has been a substitute on his last six league appearances and has not started a single match in any competition since October.

Having been a key component of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool teams, this has come as quite a shock to the veteran, but it appears that he’s ready to stick it out at Al-Ahli despite this dramatic fall from grace.