Roberto Firmino Chelsea

Roberto Firmino set to stay at Al-Ahli despite links with Chelsea

Aditya Singh

Al-Ahli striker Roberto Firmino has been heavily linked with a loan move to Chelsea this January transfer window. However, as reported by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the Brazilian will stay at the Saudi Arabian club this season.

The Blues are looking to sign a striker and have been linked with a move for Napoli’s Victor Osimhen. However, the Nigeria international is too expensive for a potential January transfer and the west London side might have to wait until the summer for him.

Hence, Chelsea were linked with a six-month loan deal for Firmino, who joined Al-Ahli after leaving Liverpool last summer. The Brazilian striker scored a hat-trick in his first appearance for the Saudi Arabian side but hasn’t scored in 18 games across competitions since then.

Former Premier League striker Darren Bent also said recently that Chelsea need a more prolific striker than the likes of Firmino, saying on talkSPORT:

“Chelsea Liverpool, that history there, they don’t like each other at all. Would he go? I can’t see Firmino going there, I just can’t.”

“If you look at his time at Liverpool, I know he sacrificed himself because of the other two, Mane and Salah. But his link-up play and hold-up play was arguably one of the best in the league. He wasn’t prolific, was he. He scored goals. But he wasn’t prolific.”

Firmino has good experience in English football, having played for Liverpool for eight years and winning every trophy available at the club. He scored 111 goals and provided 79 assists in 362 games for the Reds.

Also Read: Chelsea tipped to sign former Tottenham Hotspur defender

Chelsea, meanwhile, have struggled this season and are ninth in the Premier League table. They have scored 35 league goals in 21 games but their main strikers Nicolas Jackson and Armando Broja have contributed just eight of them.

The Blues have also been linked with a potential loan transfer for Al-Ittihad striker Karim Benzema. The veteran has reportedly had a falling out at the club after joining them from Real Madrid last summer.