Liverpool agree transfer for Premier League record signing

 Liverpool have agreed a Premier League record deal of €150 million, including add-ons, for Florian Wirtz. Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Liverpool had reached an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen for the attacking midfielder who has been crucial to their success under Xabi Alonso over the last two seasons.

Wirtz will join his Leverkusen teammate, Jeremie Frimpong, who completed his move to Anfield earlier in the window.

Wirtz’s path to becoming a Red

Wirtz is used to being a record breaker when he became the youngest player to play for Leverkusen in the Bundesliga at just 17 years and 15 days old. His transfer will surpass the record transfers of Enzo Fernandez and Jack Grealish, whose transfers have ended up in the region of €120 million.

Wirtz made his international debut in 2021 but missed out on the World Cup in 2022 due to an ACL injury. He came mostly to prominence when he was the key player in Xabi Alonso’s invincible title-winning team. In all competitions that season, he scored 18 and assisted 19 in 49 matches, winning the Bundesliga Player of the Season.

The transfer comes only weeks after Xabi Alonso completed his move to Real Madrid, and Erik Ten Hag is replacing him.

In total, he has played 31 times for Germany.

Wirtz’s play style and how it fits Liverpool

Wirtz has primarily played in the number 10 role for Leverkusen, operating behind a centre forward. However, Wirtz has the versatility to play on either the right or the left.

Statistically, Wirtz is one of the most creative attacking midfielders or wingers in the Bundesliga. He is in the top 10% for both assists and shot-creating actions among attacking midfielders or wingers, and also in the top 5% for successful take-ons in his position.

This describes much of what has contributed to Wirtz’s success for Alonso. He drops between the defensive and midfield lines of the opponents and can create a chance from this position or to take on the men in front of him and progress into the box.

For Liverpool, this could see Wirtz take up a few different roles. He could be a direct replacement for the role that Dominik Szoboszlai has played this season, behind a front three. He could also play as a false-nine in the classic “Firmino role” that brought Liverpool success under Jurgen Klopp. Wirtz would be able to drop deeper than the rest of the front three with Salah and either Diaz or Gakpo overlapping on the outside for him to play balls to.

The final potential role for Wirtz could be on the left wing. There have been rumours circulating that Luis Diaz may be on his way out of Anfield, and links to Barcelona have been going on for several years.

Liverpool will benefit from his creativity, as they rely heavily on the goals and assists of Mohamed Salah. Salah had 47 goal involvements for the Reds in the Premier League this season, with the next highest being Luis Diaz being the next highest contributor with 18.

The gulf in these goal involvement tallies and with Salah turning 33, it will require a young star to come in and fill the gap if Liverpool want to win the Premier League title for the second year in a row.