Just days before Liverpool trounced Manchester United 7-0 at Anfield, a sad day befell the club.
That happened to arise as a result of news surrounding Roberto Firmino.
The Brazilian’s contract is due to expire at the end of the current season and he will not be signing a new one.
Indeed, the next few months will be his final in Merseyside with the 31-year-old truly marking the end of an era following Sadio Mane’s departure last summer.
The club are fortunate that Mohamed Salah has penned a new contract of his own and after being crowned the club’s all-time leading scorer in the Premier League, debates are now rife over whether he is Liverpool’s all-time legend too.
Where Firmino fits onto that list is also an intriguing discussion with the 5 foot 11 attacker set to end his stay in England as quite possibly one of the most underrated and underappreciated among the wider footballing community that we’ve seen in this country.
Though, even before he packs his bags, attention must turn to who will replace him.
Coincidentally, Klopp was given the biggest indication yet on Sunday.
Who will replace Firmino at Liverpool?
There are a number of cast members who could play the role of Firmino moving forward with the club’s German manager fortunately still blessed with plenty of attacking protagonists.
Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez, of course, will spring to mind, but it is perhaps the surprise January addition of Cody Gakpo who evokes the strongest likeness to Liverpool’s great false 9.
Although a different type of player, relying on pace and directness to trouble his opponents, he is the most creative of the aforementioned names.
His record this term speaks for itself with the Dutchman having amassed 17 goals and 17 assists for PSV and Liverpool combined.
Although yet to supply an assist in Red, the £120k-per-week earner is now beginning to find himself at Anfield, scoring two excellent goals in that rout of United.
The first – a “stunning” effort in the words of Alan Shearer – came from the left-hand side as the Netherlands “sensation“, as dubbed by the Times’ Tom Allnutt, burst into the box and curled the ball into the far corner, evoking memories of a certain Thierry Henry.
His second was a lot more delicate and this time, came from the right channel.
After Salah made a fool of Lisandro Martinez, the Egyptian steered the ball into the path of Gakpo who dinked the ball over David De Gea from an extraordinarily tight angle.
The goals and the movement were executed expertly with that second strike perhaps letting off the biggest Firmino vibes yet.
Like the Brazilian, it was a cheeky finish and one that Liverpool’s number nine no doubt would have been proud of.
Although Gakpo occupied space down the left-hand side at various points on Sunday, interchanging with Nunez, it was through the middle where he was officially selected.
As the Independent’s Richard Jolly remarked at full-time, the 23-year-old had just kickstarted his Liverpool career “in the Firmino role.”
Indeed, not only did it spark life into the youngster’s time at Anfield, but it sparked fresh impetus into the new era as a whole.
In Salah, Gakpo and Nunez, Klopp could end up having a front three to rival what came before them.
Finding Mane’s successor has proven to be tricky but with Firmino’s role so unique, so different to anything else, he should be the trickiest cog to replace. That said, they made a key discovery this weekend; that Gakpo could just be the man to succeed him as the effervescent false nine.
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