New signing Roberto Firmino says he is confident of adapting to the demands of the Premier League and the new style of play at Liverpool.
The Brazilian international was signed from German club Hoffenheim for an initial £21m which could rise to £29m depending on add-ons.
The transition from the Bundesliga to the Premier League is not always easy and some players struggle with the increased pace of the game.
But Firmino, who completed his medical in Brazil over the weekend, has stated that moving to the German league when he just a teenager will help him. He told Hoffenheim’s official club website:
“I have the opportunity to start an exciting new chapter now. I am looking forward to a new challenge and am excited to find out what the Premier League has to offer.
“Surely, a lot will be new to me. I will have to adapt to a new style of play but I will get my chances and use them to get better. Of course I want to be a regular starter at Liverpool and be successful with my new team.”
The 23-year-old also showed a lot of gratitude to his former club for helping him to settle and for playing their part in his breakthrough with the Brazil national team:
“I was only 19 when I came to Hoffenheim.
“Everything was new to me — a strange country, a foreign language. That was not easy at the beginning. Europe was a big adventure to me and of course I had my doubts.
“I developed as a player and as a person. By working hard at Hoffenheim, I made it into the Selecao [Brazilian national team]. That is a dream come true to me and I know who I owe gratitude to.
“A lot of people believed in me during times when things did not go perfectly. I will keep my time at Hoffenheim and the people I met here in my heart forever.”
The former Figueirense player will not be joining up with his new teammates when they leave for the pre-season tour of Far East and Australia on Sunday.
He and Philippe Coutinho, who were both part of Brazil’s Copa America campaign, may return for the friendly against HJK Helsinki on August 1.
