It’s time to bring home Liverpool legend right NOW

Roberto Firmino’s time in Saudi Arabia has been incredibly up and down and recent rumours have suggested that he could have been falling out of favour in the Middle East.

Whilst a £300,000 per-week salary was an understandable reason to head out to Saudi Arabia, Liverpool fans were still sad to see the back of a man who had rightfully achieved legend status at Anfield.

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His first season saw his Al-Ahli side finish third in the Saudi Pro League and Firmino himself adding 15 goal involvements.

But this season started shakily, with only two goals in the first 12 League games. The Brazilian’s form has ticked up since then - six goal involvements in the six games afterwards - but it seems his fate was already sealed.

And his time at Al-Ahli came to an end not with a bang but with a whimper, with the club choosing to register new signing Galeno over him in their squad despite him being club captain.

In a recent press conference, as reported by Saudi outlet Kooora, Al-Ahli manager Matthias Jaissle said, "It was a difficult decision for the club, and it was taken based on the applicable laws. We appreciate Firmino a lot and he dealt with the situation with great professionalism."

The Saudi Pro League’s rules state that teams can register 25 players in their squad, including up to 10 foreign-born players with two being 21 or younger at time of signing.

Firmino can still play in the AFC Champions League but he will surely be on his way out at the end of the season regardless.

Firmino should return to Liverpool

Yet, as proven with a wondergoal in their Champions League game against Qatari side Al-Sadd last week, Firmino certainly still has what it takes to compete at a high level.

So for him to really re-find his form and himself there seems to be one obvious option - a return to Anfield.

That's if Al-Ahli are willing to come to an agreement over his departure - much like the one that Al-Hilal reached for Neymar in order to faciliate a homecoming to Santos.

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I know, I know, we said our goodbyes. But there is nothing Reds would love more than to see the icon gracing the pitch at Anfield once more, holding up the ball and playing runners in with that winning smile we all became so accustomed to.

And he would actually provide a legitimate bench option for a side looking to improve their depth. All love to Darwin Nunez but he has been a hit-and-miss option all season under head coach Arne Slot.

Firmino could be exactly what this squad needs in rotation to kill off games. He would be perfect at receiving the ball from a charging Ryan Gravenberch or a surgical Alexis Mac Allister, before sending Mo Salah, Cody Gakpo or Luis Diaz in behind terrified defences.

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It might sound crazy but it’s a legitimate option. If Liverpool are to really compete for a quadruple then no option should ever be off the table.

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