West Ham United dealt blow in pursuit of ‘world-class’ Roberto Firmino as politically sensitive issue emerges
West Ham have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Roberto Firmino after an update has emerged on the Al-Ahli forward.
Speaking on talkSPORT on Friday (5 January, 07:43am), journalist Alex Crook told host Alan Brazil that the Brazilian international would be “keen” on a move back to the Premier League after news outlet HITC reported on its website on Thursday (4 January) that the Hammers want to sign him.
But Crook added that a transfer back to England could be “politically difficult” as the Saudi authorities believe it would be a “bad look optically” if the 32-year-old forward were to quit the Middle Eastern league just six months after joining from Liverpool.
“Did I read somewhere that Firmino could be on his way back to the Premier League?” said Brazil.
“I think he’d be keen to be,” responded Crook. “It’s a little bit politically difficult because I think the Saudi Arabian authorities think it would be a bad look optically if a player of the calibre of Bobby Firmino were to quit the Saudi Pro League just six months after joining from Liverpool.
“But I know his name has been presented to more than one Premier League club, Fulham amongst them. I think Bobby Firmino is still a player who has a lot to offer in the Premier League.”
It doesn’t come as much of a surprise to hear that Firmimo is keen on a move back to the Premier League because he is still a quality player and is capable of performing at the highest level.
But he hasn’t quite been performing to the best of his abilities in Saudi Arabia after scoring just three goals and laying on three assists in his 19 appearances this season.
That is quite a fall-off from his time at Liverpool, where manager Jurgen Klopp previously referred to him as “world-class” following his performances at Anfield.
The Brazilian registered 13 goals and five assists for the Reds last season, including an impressive 11 strikes in just 25 Premier League outings on Merseyside throughout the campaign.
Those stats suggest he is more than capable of doing a job in the English top flight, but it seems unlikely that the Saudi authorities will change their stance on high-profile players leaving the league any time soon.
It would be an extremely damaging development for the country’s ambitions within football if a player were to exit the league after just six months as it could indicate that it’s not the place to be for some of the world’s best talents.
In terms of West Ham, Firmino perhaps wouldn’t fit into David Moyes’s style of play anyway, as he prefers to have strong, physical players leading the line.
The wages would also be an issue as the forward is likely to be on far more than the Hammers would be prepared to offer, making a transfer to the London Stadium this month – or in the summer – incredibly unlikely.
In other West Ham news, one player wants to leave the Hammers amid a £30million development.