Liverpool has already delivered Roberto Firmino successor for Jürgen Klopp after 20-goal season

A sumptuous individual strike proved to be the last dance in a storied eight-year spell at Liverpool for Roberto Firmino. As the popular Brazilian departs, however, his heir at Anfield is already apparent.

There is no doubt that Firmino will be missed by pretty much everybody associated with the Reds, with his infectious personality and footballing brilliance making him one of the most loved players on the Kop in modern times. One cannot overlook his contributions this season either, with the 31-year-old having scored 13 goals and notched three assists from 35 outings— amounting to 0.94 goal contributions per 90 minutes.

That said, as the old adage goes, all good things must come to an end, with the 4-4 draw against relegated Southampton the final curtain call for the Klopp mainstay. In effect, when Firmino was eventually subbed off to a standing ovation from Liverpool’s traveling supporters in the 56th minute at St Mary’s, the introduction of Cody Gakpo from the bench in his place felt like a symbolic changing of the guard.

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Of course, the former PSV Eindhoven man has been a Reds player for nearly six months at this point and has settled impressively well into the ‘false nine’ role in Klopp’s set-up, which Firmino first pioneered. In many ways, the master effectively handed over to the apprentice to Gakpo in the second half, with Klopp able to effectively stick with the same system, as a result.

It would be fair to say the Dutchman once again demonstrated his credentials as Firmino’s successor at Liverpool against the Saints, capping off an industrious run-out with a goal in the 72nd minute. What will have really pleased his manager is that his tenacity in the press was unwavering after he was introduced — making two ball recoveries and more tackles than any Reds player across the 90 minutes with seven.

On top of this, he also created two chances after entering the fray, with his ability to bring his teammates into play with his back to goal also reminiscent of the man he has been brought in to replace. It is no coincidence that Liverpool looked the far more dominant and dangerous side during the final 25 minutes of the game and one could probably argue a solid case that they would have beaten Southampton had the team that saw out the game been named as the starting XI.

All in all, it has been an excellent season on an individual level for Gakpo, with his combined output for both PSV Eindhoven and Liverpool amounting to an impressive 20 goals and 20 assists in 50 appearances. In just six months in the Premier League, his defensive work has also been outstanding — he has won an average of 6.54 per 90 minutes, putting him in the top 12 per cent of players across the whole division, according to FootyStats.

A lot has been made, quite rightly, of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s impact on the Reds’ fortunes since his transformation into an ‘inverted full-back’ but the strength of Gakpo’s contributions during an 11-game unbeaten run in the run-in of this campaign should not be overlooked. The 24-year-old forward’s predecessor Firmino was one of the first names on the teamsheet for Klopp for the majority of his time at Anfield and Gakpo’s inclusion in the side is very quickly becoming equally essential.

If the first 56 minutes of the encounter on the South Coast felt like a final run-out for the ‘old Liverpool’, the remainder of proceedings certainly demonstrated the evolution that has taken place within the team in recent months. Firmino will be a massive miss for the Reds moving forward but the future looks to be in safe hands.