Former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor says that Liverpool are at risk of losing out on the Premier League title race.
He says Liverpool not adding another forward this summer has placed them in a precarious position and I agree. Divock Origi simply no longer contributes to the Reds’ chances of success anymore.
However, Agbonlahor goes on to place the blame on Roberto Firmino, who is injured and that’s where he loses me.
Speaking on talkSPORT, as cited by the Liverpool Echo, he said: “They will be in a race, but for me, they won’t win it because they have missed out this transfer window by not bringing in another attacking player.
“Firmino’s strike-rate is worse than mine, and that’s saying something. He is injured now.
“If you ask Liverpool fans, they will say the same. If you ask ex-Liverpool players, they will say the same.”
The Brazilian joined Liverpool in 2015 for £29million and has been terrific for the club but his influence has been on the wane.
Firmino certainly is no longer as prolific as he once was but the Diogo Jota is filling the gap where the Brazilian would be but I think the spotlight should now be on Sadio Mane, who has also been underperforming for some time.
The Senegal attacker scored against Burnely and will hopefully notch against Leeds as well but against Chelsea, in a game that Liverpool needed a bright spark, the former Southampton star was poor.
It’s been a long time since we have seen the electric forward that thrust fear into the hearts of every defender he came up against and it’s almost as though he has lost a yard of pace.
He looked electric in pre-season but he hasn’t quite carried that momentum into the Premier League campaign the way that Mo Salah and Diogo Jota have, with both Liverpool forwards on two goals so far.
It might be too early to suggest that this season is make or break for him but if he fails to break the 20 goal mark in all competitions again, it might make sense for all parties involved for him to move on next summer.
However, my hope is that he can refind his form and become the menace that helped us become Premier League champions.
