Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp couldn't believe that Roberto Firmino moved to Anfield
The Liverpool manager, then in charge of Borrusia Dortmund, was surprised by the club's capture of the highly-rated Brazilian in the summer of 2015
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Jurgen Klopp has admitted that he could not believe it when Liverpool signed Roberto Firmino for just £29m and has claimed that he knew the Brazilian would be a success, even before he became the club's manager.
Firmino's transfer fee was the subject of some controversy after his arrival from Hoffenheim was announced in the summer of 2015, while Brendan Rodgers was at the Anfield helm.
Klopp, who succeeded Rodgers at Liverpool last October, has now revealed that he was surprised when the club managed to pull off the capture of Firmino.
Ahead of this weekend's meeting with West Ham United at Anfield, he said: “Nobody asked me about him but he was a player I thought was one of the best in the Bundesliga. So when I saw that Liverpool had signed him I thought: ‘How could Liverpool do this?’
“They were not in their 100% best moment and other clubs would have spent more on him so I thought immediately: ‘What a good transfer for them'.
“When I heard about it I thought they had made a good signing because I felt pretty sure clubs would have paid a lot more for him.”
Following Klopp's arrival, no player has scored more for Liverpool than Firmino and he is currently enjoying a rich vein of form at Anfield, with six goals and three assists in 15 appearances this season.
Earlier this week, a Belgian newspaper claimed to have seen a leaked copy of Firmino's Liverpool contract, which contained an £82m release clause.
The clause also reportedly exempted Arsenal from any prospective transfer. The north London club infamously attempt to trigger Luis Suarez's release clause with a bid of £40,000,001 in 2013.
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