Florian Wirtz: What will record-breaker bring to Liverpool? | OneFootball

Liverpool are closing in on the biggest transfer of the summer after reaching a record-breaking agreement for Florian Wirtz.

A verbal agreement has been reached between the Reds and Bayer Leverkusen, over a fee that could reach €150m (£126m) with add-ons.

It’s a deal that will break the British transfer record, the first time Liverpool have surpassed that landmark since Stan Collymore’s arrival from Nottingham Forest in 1995.

Liverpool have shown a willingness to spend big before. Virgil van Dijk became the world’s most expensive defender upon his arrival from Southampton in January 2018. Six months later, Alisson Becker became the goalkeeping equivalent. Both were huge deals. Both justified the outlay. The Reds’ recruitment team are confident Wirtz will follow suit.

Liverpool’s interest in Wirtz caught many by surprise. Bayern Munich had been the overwhelming favourites to land the 22-year-old. Manchester City’s need for his profile perhaps appeared more apparent. After talks with all three clubs, Wirtz decided on Anfield, the final stepping stone the size of the fee.

Bayer Leverkusen demanded a record sum and will receive one. If all add-ons are met, Wirtz will become one of the most expensive footballers of all time. The expectation is high.

But expectation has followed Wirtz from an early age. He became Leverkusen’s youngest league debutant in 2020 and, soon, the Bundesliga’s youngest goalscorer. A rapid rise was halted in March 2022 when Wirtz tore his anterior cruciate ligament but the comeback was greater than the setback.

In 2023/24, he was the inspiration behind Bayer Leverkusen’s maiden title success. Thriving in Xabi Alonso’s fluid system, Wirtz was the creative centre-piece of the side. He scored 18 times and created 20 more, as Leverkusen became Germany’s first Invincibles.

Their title was won without losing a game, sealed with a Wirtz hat-trick against Werder Bremen. The DFB-Pokal was added to secure a domestic double, while a 51-game unbeaten run in all competitions set a new European record.

Bayern Munich returned to behemoth status this season to reclaim the crown, though Wirtz continued to shine even as Leverkusen’s level dropped.

He returned 31 goals and assists in 45 appearances, including six strikes in his first Champions League campaign. For the second straight year, he was voted Bundesliga Player of the Year.

So where does he fit in at Liverpool? In truth, the options are open. Wirtz, in essence, is a raumdeuter, a phrase coined in Germany to define a player who interprets space. Thomas Muller was perhaps the master of the role, one that has few parameters.

While Muller’s ghosting into goalscoring areas was his super-strength, Wirtz’s interpretation is a little different. He drops into pockets of space, into blind spots between opposition defences and midfields, making him difficult to pick up. When free, he has been devastatingly effective.

Last season, Wirtz led all Bundesliga players for through balls, goal-creating actions and successful take-ons. Whether it’s beating his man with quick feet or threading passes through gaps, Wirtz has been a chance-creation machine.

Liverpool were heavily reliant on Mohamed Salah for creativity last season. Salah’s 18 assists were a league-leading total, with the next-highest in the squad Dominik Szoboszlai and Trent Alexander-Arnold with six each.

Alexander-Arnold’s exit for Real Madrid, alongside Andy Robertson’s decline in attacking output, has heightened the need for a creative reinvention.

Enter, Wirtz.

Across Europe’s top five leagues, only two players have recorded 10+ goals and 10+ assists in each of the last two seasons Wirtz’s arrival to join Salah means both will be in Liverpool red next season.

Just two players averaged more final third touches per 90 than Wirtz in Europe last season. Of the top 10, the German was the only player not to come from Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Barcelona or Paris Saint-Germain, four sides accustomed to dominating possession and territory in their respective leagues.

With a preference to drift into the left channels, he will add unpredictability to a Liverpool attack that has so often looked to funnel forward through Salah.

The final picture will become clearer once the transfer window closes but Arne Slot looks keen to put his own stamp on this side. Jeremie Frimpong’s arrival and the expected signing of Milos Kerkez will bring pace and dynamism to the full-back roles, while Wirtz will offer an off-the-cuff option in midfield that has perhaps not been present since Philippe Coutinho.

More experienced players have struggled under the weight of expectation in England, but there’s little doubt that Wirtz is one of world football’s most impressive young talents.

Liverpool’s recruitment team has not got much wrong in the Michael Edwards era and their willingness to spend big on the marquee man will not have been actioned without serious thought. The champions have made a statement from a position of strength.

Read – Every player to break the Premier League transfer record since 92/93

See more – Six players to watch at the under-21 European Championship

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