Jurgen Klopp confirmed reports of Roberto Firmino‘s exit in the summer after the rout against Man United and has now spoken of his surprise at the news.
It’s been a week since Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg reported that Firmino had made the decision to leave Anfield at the conclusion of his contract this summer.
In the days since, we’ve seen plenty of tributes paid to the legacy and legend that the Brazilian will leave behind.
And the manager was the latest to speak glowingly of a player he has used more than any other in his entire managerial career, but also noted his surprise at Firmino’s decision.
“Yes, he told me [of the decision],” Klopp said in his pre-Bournemouth press conference. “Surprised, yes, a little bit. But I was not hit by the surprise.
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“It’s a normal thing to do, it could go two ways and it was one. I respect that a lot.
“It’s completely normal in this kind of long relationship that we have, and that Bobby has with the club and most of the players and fans, it’s pretty special.
“I loved the reception he got when he came on against United.
“And, actually, he told me [the news] and the only other thing he said was, ‘now I want to bring this wonderful story to a positive end’.
“He’s completely here, completely committed, how everybody can imagine and that’s all we need to know.
“There’s no time for a goodbye in this moment, we have enough time for that later in the season.
“Whenever he will come back, the song will still be for a long, long time in everybody’s ears.
“He’s one of those players that would come with an opposition team and people would still be happy to see [him].”
You’re not wrong there, Jurgen!
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