Former Liverpool defender Markus Babbel, who also coached Roberto Firmino at Hoffenheim, has had his say on the Reds' signing of the Brazil midfielder.
Liverpool are lavishing up to €41m to snap up Firmino from Hoffenheim, having been impressed with his performances in the Bundesliga and at international level with Brazil.
Babbel won a treble of trophies with Liverpool as a player in 2001 and remained at Anfield until 2004, while he also managed Hoffenheim in 2012, working with Firmino in the process.
And the 42-year-old is shocked by the amount the Reds are spending on the midfielder, even though he feels Firmino is a quality player.
Talking to German daily Bild about the transfer fee, Babbel said: "That's brutal and when I heard that I flinched, because even for Liverpool that's not chicken feed.
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"He's under a certain amount of pressure with this [transfer fee] weight on his shoulders."
Babbel is a firm fan of Firmino however and believes that in many ways he is more German than Brazilian, while he also thinks the midfielder's style of play will be appreciated in England.
"He is an atypical Brazilian, more German than many Germans. Roberto is disciplined and has enormous assertiveness.
"Roberto doesn't moan when he is fouled. He is not an actor, but gets up again.
"This is beneficial in England, because that is what English fans like to see."
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