Roberto Firmino is poised for a fresh opportunity following his return to Liverpool after enduring a challenging five-month period described as a ‘nightmare.’

Unlike Jordan Henderson, who managed to end his challenging experience in the Saudi Pro League in January, Roberto Firmino faced a different narrative. Both players departed Liverpool to join teams in the Gulf State last summer. Henderson completed a controversial £12 million transfer to Al-Ettifaq, while Firmino joined Al-Ahli on a Bosman transfer. Having secured every major honor at Anfield, both players were significant signings in their new environments and were appointed club captain at their respective clubs.

However, both players encountered difficulties in the Middle East during the initial part of the season. Jordan Henderson, who frequently played in front of small crowds that only occupied a fraction of Anfield’s capacity, made 19 appearances for Al-Ettifaq. Despite failing to score, he managed to register five assists after reuniting with Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.

However, their fortunes in the Middle East differed. While Al-Ettifaq initially performed well, winning one of their 13 league and cup games since the end of September, they fell to eighth place in the Pro League table. Struggling to settle in the Gulf State, Jordan Henderson sought a new opportunity and terminated his contract to return to Europe with Ajax last month. Despite playing consistently for Al-Ettifaq, Henderson decided Saudi Arabia wasn’t the right fit for him, making the personal decision to exit.

On the other hand, Al-Ahli reportedly attempted to offload Roberto Firmino after half a season, but the move did not materialize. Despite a remarkable debut with a hat-trick and captaining Al-Ahil to a 3-1 victory over Al-Hazem on the season’s opening day, Firmino has not scored since, making 19 appearances for the club to date.

Initially a first-choice in attack, Firmino lost his place in late October after a 3-1 loss to league leaders Al-Hilal, with supporters reportedly turning against him. Losing the captaincy, Al-Ahli went on an eight-game unbeaten run after his exclusion, winning five of those matches and keeping seven clean sheets. However, Firmino was limited to 94 minutes of action across seven substitute appearances.

Saudi international Firas Al-Buraikan took Firmino’s place and excelled, registering six goals and three assists in those eight games, contributing to Al-Ahli’s rise to third place in the table. Firas Al-Buraikan started the season with Al-Fateh, accumulating 13 goals from 19 matches this season.

Despite speculation linking Firmino to a possible Premier League return with Chelsea and Fulham, no move materialized. Interest from Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq also led to nothing. As a result, when the Saudi transfer window closed on January 30, Firmino remained at Al-Ahli, affirming his commitment to the club. He returned to Liverpool at the beginning of the year, witnessed his former teammates’ victory over Newcastle United on New Year’s Day, and resumed training with Al-Ahli on January 15 after the Saudi Pro League’s mid-season break.

He has had a decent comeback in his team’s friendly matches, featuring in all five games so far and scoring in a 4-1 victory over Abha on January 19 and in a 2-2 draw with Al-Nasr on Thursday. However, whether this performance signifies a potential revival with the club in the second half of the season remains uncertain.

While Roberto Firmino has started all five friendly matches, key players like Firas Al-Buraikan and Riyad Mahrez, who are the joint-leading goalscorers, are currently away on Africa Cup of Nations or Asian Cup duty. Additionally, manager Matthias Jaissle tends to rotate other prominent overseas players between starting and coming on at half-time.