A year ago, when Liverpool reshuffled their squad and said goodbye to several senior players, many on the road wondered if their football days were over.
“I wonder if one day I will find another position like Anfield, with the same atmosphere, the same feeling; if I ever find fans like that,” said Roberto Firmino, the striker who was one of the crowd’s favorites.
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It’s not easy to leave Liverpool without a wave of raw emotion – former manager Jurgen Klopp knows this all too well – and last summer was no different. Firmino, three months before the last game of the 2022-23 season that would end. his 8 years at the club. James Milner turned down the opportunity to work on the club’s coaching staff as he looked to make the most of his playing career elsewhere, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita were deemed surplus to requirements as a transformation. Began. A crowd of young people also left.
Here’s what happened to those on the list released last summer (not Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, who were sold weeks later and whose stories have been well-documented ever since) and their situation. discovered a year later.
Few players have given Anfield a more fitting send-off than Firmino, who not only scored a last-minute equalizer in his farewell to Anfield, but also scored a goal the following week in his final game for the club, a 4-0 draw. -4 in Southampton.
There was a guard of honour at Anfield, framed photographs of his most productive moments and a circular of individual applause (which also allowed the other 3 players whose departure was confirmed), and Firmino even stopped to speak to the media, a rarity in the Brazilian, who has avoided interviews as well as the defenders of the opposition, in part, he says, because he’s “a little shy. “
A war of words over his long-term role ended contract negotiations, but there were regrets about how they went. “My family and I were sad and frustrated by a departure that, deep in our hearts, we did not need to have,” he writes in his e-book Yes Lord, published a few weeks after his departure.
The discontent was no doubt compounded by the suspicion that Firmino was still close to the peak of his abilities: only Mohamed Salah has scored more Premier League goals for Liverpool this season than the Brazilian (who scored 11). While the communication revolved around imaginable moves towards other, more sensible clubs, what happened next was unexpected and, for many Liverpool enthusiasts, disappointing.
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Firmino joined the Saudi Pro League (SPL) to play for Al Ahli. His move generated few complaints directed at Henderson later that summer, in part because Firmino’s lack of public comment meant he could be accused of hypocrisy on thorny ethical issues such as LGBTQI+ rights.
A hat-trick on debut for Al Hazem was a smart start and it was hoped his enduring talent and fame would announce the SPL brand. Those hopes came to nothing: he scored no goals for six months and finished the season with just nine goals, a stark contrast to the league’s true star, Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored 64 goals in 69 games for Al Nassr.
The 32-year-old Firmino’s long career looks doubtful as Al Ahli look for another striker. Playing in a stadium that is partially full is a far cry from the big nights at Anfield. Firmino, a devout Christian, has spoken of employing his deep religion to stay fulfilled in life (he recently became pastor of his local church in the Brazilian city of Maceió), but given that his last overseas appearance was in 2021, it’s clear that his career is coming to an end. .
Keita’s is more confusing.
A debatable figure in his time at Liverpool: his defenders were convinced that few fit his elegance and dynamism in midfield, while his detractors pointed out that he rarely had enough compatibility to show them off. He was voted the Bundesliga. de’s worst player last season via German magazine Kicker after his setbacks at Werder Bremen.
The 29-year-old played just 107 minutes in five appearances that kept the unhappy theme of his injury-ravaged five years at Liverpool.
After being suspended in April for allegedly refusing an attack against Bayern Leverkusen, it seemed there would be no way for him to return to his club.
However, after months without football, he is once again shining with Guinea at the Paris Olympic Games. Yesterday he played against New Zealand and is expected to play in matches at the organizational level with France and the United States. For the club’s scouts represented in the stands, it’s a timely opportunity for Keita to remind the world of what he can do. At 29 years old, he is still far from retiring.
Werder Bremen say they are waiting for his return from foreign service before the new season. Moving requires a willing client, but with Keita’s market price plummeting, his roles are limited.
Perhaps Oxlade-Chamberlain has a better chance of getting back on track (or even returning to England, where he would welcome the chance to prove his worth) after a year in Turkey with Besiktas.
Oxlade-Chamberlain rejected offers from Saudi clubs last summer. He was open to the idea of adopting a new culture and taking on the challenge of a new league, but he felt the distance between the UK and the Middle East would be too great for family visits.
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He was also looking for difficult and competitive football, so betting on the Europa Conference League and fighting for the Super Lig name was appealing. In this event, Besiktas were out of Europe in December and finished sixth, 46-time champions, Galatasaray. However, they did, they win the Turkey Cup by beating Trabzonspor 3-2.
Despite suffering a thigh injury earlier in the year, Oxlade-Chamberlain managed to mislead his seemingly longer-lasting doubters. His 30 appearances were a paltry result from last year’s thirteen at Liverpool, but with so much chaos – Besiktas went through five managers last season – it would still take time for him to develop what he felt at Liverpool. “A team to be part of”, is how he described his time at Anfield.
So what? Oxlade-Chamberlain is no longer a fresh-faced young man and it would be too early to rule out a resurgence.
Ross Barkley deserves encouragement: they are the same age (30) and have followed a similar career path, last representing England in 2019 and then playing (Barkley in France with Nice). Barkley is back to prepare for the Champions League with Aston Villa after a wonderful season with Luton Town in the Premier League.
Does Oxlade-Chamberlain have it in him? Can he return to the Premier League and shine? First of all, a club has to pass behind him.
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Milner, who turns 39 in January, remains confident he will play at least one season. This will be his 23rd career crusade, but the first to play under a younger coach, following the appointment at Brighton of 31-year-old Fabian Hurzeler, who replaced Roberto De Zerbi.
Milner played 20 games last season until he suffered a thigh injury that kept him out for the past four months. He enjoyed the increased playing time and, unsurprisingly, the various roles he was assigned in the team. As one of the club’s veteran players, before signing a one-year extension he was told that a replacement for the controller was imaginable, but that it was being sought anyway.
With no European football for Brighton this season, the easing in the number of matches allows for a lighter schedule, which could provide advantages to Milner, who is the second-oldest outfield player under contract in the Premier League (behind Everton’s Ashley Young, who turned 39 this month).
Liverpool were not happy to see him leave and hoped he would remain in the club’s next long-term star organisation, but their decision was justified. He felt love when he left, with special messages on his final programme of the day at Anfield, screams on social media. and personal parties.
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So what about those who are not in the spotlight but are still on the same list of “detained and released”?
Most ended up making silent moves, adding Liam Hughes, who was twice in the Liverpool team and now plays for Haka in Finland. Charlie Hayes-Green has joined Bolton’s B team. Iwan Roberts joined Bala Town in Wales and has since moved to Denbigh Town and Fidel O’Rourke signed with Prescot Cables.
Oludare Olufunwa spoke about how Liverpool helped him move forward when his contract expired. As part of the club’s aftercare programme, Olufunwa was allowed to continue recovering from injury at AXA education centre before joining St Johnstone.
In the global polarizer of youth football
Jack Béarn, the 22-year-old midfielder who made an appearance for Liverpool’s first team at the 2019 Carabao Cup, received a signed blouse and long-term advice when his departure was confirmed. He knew his time at the club was coming to an end, but breaking away from sumptuous educational comforts wasn’t easy. However, moving to Greenock Morton strengthened him and brought him into men’s football at just the right time.
“Liverpool’s player service department has been wonderful to me,” he said. “They let me work out at the academy and told me I could come back and communicate if needed, which is decent.
“Leaving a club like Liverpool will be difficult. If you are a first-team player, it might hurt more. However, I have had to pass out, play games and learn how to win and fight to earn a living, that’s all. ” What I discovered this year is very different from Liverpool.
(Top photo: John Powell/Liverpool FC Getty Images)