Striker’s release clause comes with a twist
Roberto Firmino is one of the players in Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool team that has impressed the most so far this season.
His movement and finishing is amongst the best in the team, and he really is now starting to justify the £29million price tag Brendan Rodgers paid for him 15 months ago.
It’s interesting how Jurgen Klopp is getting much more out of Firmino than Rodgers ever did during their short period together, what’s even more interesting, however, is the bizarre contract clause Firmino has in his current Liverpool deal.
It’s all about his release clause. Firmino has a release clause of £82million in his deal, a price very few teams will be willing to pay at this point (who knows though, in a couple of years), but the twist is that Arsenal are BANNED from activating this clause, probably their result of their very cheeky bid for Luis Suarez in 2013.
Arsenal bid £40million plus £1 to sign the Uruguayan striker, believing that it would trigger a buy-out clause in the now-Barcelona star’s deal at the time.
It led to Liverpool owner John W. Henry tweeting in response: “What do you think they’re smoking over there at the Emirates?”
And now, there is a line relating to the clause in Firmino’s contract, written, “if the interested club is not Arsenal”.
Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Gunners.
By Ben Kelly – @benkelly_10
