Luis Garcia says Liverpool have a ‘fantastic’ £45m player who’s a bit like Roberto Firmino

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Arne Slot has begun his journey to build a team as good as the great Liverpool of Jurgen Klopp.

The Reds were simply brilliant under Klopp, with so many of the German’s players going on to become legends at the club.

Debate will rage on into the future about who was the best player of the Klopp era at Anfield, with a number of candidates able to make a convincing case.

If a vote were polled on the matter right now, you could bet that Roberto Firmino would pull in a pretty large percentage.

The Brazilian was a terrific servant to Liverpool across eight years and was one of the most unique players ever to grace the Premier League.

Luis Garica makes Roberto Firmino comparison

What made Firmino so special was his ability to make those around him so much better. The 32-year-old took a while to find his best position. But when he did, he made it his own.

Klopp says Firmino is the key ingredient to building any great team and it’s clear that the Brazil international was an incredibly smart footballer.

Since he left Anfield in 2023, Firmino has not shone at anything like the same level with Al Ahli.

Back at Liverpool, they never really replaced him, either. But then again, how do you replace that which cannot be replicated?

READ MORE: Roberto Firmino shows off hairstyle never before seen at Liverpool

According to former Liverpool player Luis Garcia, though, the Reds do actually have a player who can do some of what Firmino did: Diogo Jota.

“I love Diogo Jota and I like the finishing,” the Spaniard says to ESPN UK. “More quality [than Darwin Nunez], more talent on the ball, the runs are fantastic, getting into the pockets. But for me he’s not a centre-forward.

“He’s not a player who you can stick up front,” Garcia adds. “He’s a player kind of like how Firmino was doing the job. He can stay there for a little bit then drops down and arrives in the second line. He’s very good in one-v-one situations, facing, but not [with defenders] on his back.

“When he’s key for Liverpool it’s when he arrives in the second level and he makes those runs and no one is following, he’s not a number nine with a centre-back on his back.”

Diogo Jota vs Darwin Nunez

The thrust of ESPN’s conversation – with Garcia at the heart of it – is whether Jota or Darwin Nunez should be Liverpool’s starting centre-forward.

While Garcia actually opted for Nunez, Steve Nicol, Don Hutchison and Mario Melchiot all go with the £45m Jota.

In our opinion, the head coach is perhaps leaning towards Darwin. By his own admission Slot has already spoken to Nunez and told the Uruguayan how important he intends to make him to the team.

From what we can see in pre-season, the Dutchman will use only one central striker, with an attacking midfielder aiding from a deeper position.

Although Jota can play from the left – as can Nunez – you’d imagine that this one position will be fought for between these two players. Let’s see which way Slot decides.