Where does Florian Wirtz fit in at Liverpool? | OneFootball

Liverpool look set to sign Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz for a club record transfer fee, with their latest offer reportedly being around £100m plus £13m in potential add-ons, according to Sky Sports. It’s a real statement of intent from the Premier League champions, but where does he fit in?

Following the sale of Kai Havertz to Chelsea all the way back in 2020, Wirtz was the man tasked with filling in the void behind the number nine. He did what his predecessor never could: bring the Bundesliga title to the BayArena.

Fitting into Arne Slot’s Liverpool tactics

It’s not broken, so Slot has no reason to change from his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation. Wirtz is likely to play most of his football behind the striker, but he’s going to have to get used to putting a foot in and contributing defensively. Liverpool already have a forward they’ve allowed to fully concentrate on attack in Mohamed Salah.

Thankfully for Dominic Szoboszlai, the Germany international is much more than an attacking midfielder. His versatility is likely a huge reason Liverpool are willing to spend so much money on Wirtz. Capable of playing on either wing, along with up top, he played just 68% of his minutes in the ten position.

As number 10s go, he’s a bit of a throwback, with a low centre of gravity and a preference to dribble through defences rather than pick out an insane pass like De Bruyne would. His greatest asset is his movement, finding space in between the defence and midfield that us mere mortals couldn’t even comprehend.

Liverpool seem to prefer attacking players with the type of versatility Wirtz possesses. Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, and Salah have all played across the attacking line. Interestingly, with Darwin Nunez likely to leave, Wirtz could also fill in as a false nine; it’s unlikely he’d score fewer goals than the Uruguayan after all.

Players under threat

Unfortunately, Wirtz’s arrival means some of Liverpool’s current crop will have to move on, if only to balance the books. As we mentioned, Nunez already has one foot out the door, with offers from across Europe and Saudi Arabia, so he won’t be affected by this one.

The three main players are Szoboszlai, Harvey Elliott, and the last remaining Scouser in their team, Curtis Jones. The Hungarian will likely be most worried, although he can play a little further back as a classic midfielder.

Elliott hardly played at all, just 360 minutes in the Premier League, to be precise. Slot doesn’t seem to have much faith in his ability to make much of an impact, but considering his age (22) and the fact that he’s English, he’ll likely end up at Chelsea this summer.

Jones missing out on game time would be the kicker for those romantic Liverpool fans. After years of nearly making it under Jurgen Klopp, last season felt like a real breakout for the academy lad. Three goals and six assists in his 46 games across all competitions isn’t quite productive enough, though.

Impact on other deals

Liverpool have never shied away from spending big when the opportunity arises, but £113 is a lot of money, no matter who you are. They’re reportedly after a more traditional number nine too, and have been heavily linked with a move for Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike.

The Germans value Ekitike, who scored 22 goals and provided 12 assists in 48 games last season, at around £80 million, according to Florian Plettenberg. That would likely be a little out of reach for Liverpool once the Wirtz deal is sealed.

In all honesty, Liverpool don’t need to sign too many more players. Salah and Virgil van Dijk have been tied down to new deals, and Trent Alexander-Arnold has been replaced by Jeremie Frimpong. A striker would be nice, but they won the Premier League without one last time out.

Verdict

Wirtz will be a great signing for Liverpool. The term ‘generational talent’ is thrown around a lot these days, but he is exactly that. Salah can only carry the goal-scoring burden for so long; his second half of the 2024-25 season is testament to that. Adding another threat can only be a good thing.

Get Football | Alex Roberts