'He can do anything': Why Liverpool spent big to sign Wirtz

Even Bayer Leverkusen brag Xabi Alonso couldn't judge it. After watching Florian Wirtz creation done a assemblage of SC Freiburg defenders successful October 2023 to springiness his broadside a precious pb connected their way to the Bundesliga title, the erstwhile Spain planetary simply raised his eyebrows connected the touchline.

It was a quiescent acknowledgment of Wirtz's brilliance, and Alonso's sentiments were echoed aft the lucifer by Freiburg manager Christian Streich, who simply claimed: "You can't support against Florian Wirtz."

That proposal volition beryllium tested much rigorously than ever earlier adjacent play pursuing Wirtz's £100 cardinal determination (plus £16m successful add-ons) from Leverkusen to Liverpool. The 22-year-old playmaker has go Arne Slot's 2nd accomplishment of the summer, aft the £30m signing of his teammate Jeremie Frimpong, with Liverpool obliterating their ain transportation grounds (the £75m paid to motion defender Virgil van Dijk from Southampton successful January 2018), but not rather breaking the British transportation grounds (Chelsea's £106.8m signing of Enzo Fernández).

On paper, Wirtz is arguably the astir breathtaking signing successful satellite shot this summer. Having enjoyed a meteoric emergence astatine Leverkusen, the Germany planetary is already regarded arsenic 1 of Europe's astir prodigious talents and, successful joining the Premier League champions, helium has secured a immense level connected which to showcase his abilities.

It is besides a determination that has caught galore by surprise, with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich oregon LaLiga giants Real Madrid (after they hired Alonso) viewed arsenic Wirtz's astir apt destination. However, a root told ESPN that Slot's imaginativeness proved the compelling origin successful the player's determination to determination to Merseyside.

Wirtz was identified arsenic the antheral to instrumentality the Dutchman's Liverpool task to the adjacent level. So present is everything you request to know.

'A existent spark and joyousness astir him'

The youngest of 10 siblings, it is possibly small wonderment that household is astatine the halfway of Wirtz's world. The midfielder was raised successful the agrarian municipality of Pulheim, conscionable extracurricular of Cologne, and began his younker vocation with section squad SV Grün-Weiß Brauweiler, wherever his begetter Hans-Joachim -- besides his cause -- is inactive the chairman.

"He and the shot were ever conscionable one; you could spot that aboriginal connected erstwhile I played against him oregon erstwhile we did things unneurotic with the football," Wirtz's sister Juliane, besides a nonrecreational footballer for Werder Bremen, told the official Bundesliga website successful 2023.

"Even conscionable the mode helium looked astatine the ball. The information is that helium has a batch of talent, but he's besides done a batch [in presumption of working] connected it. Early on, from erstwhile helium was truly young, you could archer that lad would person thing to bash with football."

Indeed, Wirtz's endowment and exertion soon earned him a determination to FC Cologne, wherever helium spent much than a decennary successful the club's academy earlier joining Leverkusen successful 2020. It was during his clip astatine the BayArena that the midfielder established himself arsenic 1 of the Bundesliga's brightest stars, registering 57 goals and 65 assists successful 197 nine appearances.

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Florian Wirtz's superb extremity makes it 2-0 Leverkusen

Florian Wirtz dances done the Freiburg defence and doubles Leverkusen's advantage.

After recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) wounded sustained successful 2022, Wirtz evolved into Leverkusen's originative fulcrum nether Alonso, starring arsenic the nine defied the likelihood to clinch its first-ever league title, adjacent going unbeaten, successful 2023-24, arsenic good arsenic winning the DFB-Pokal and reaching the UEFA Europa League final, wherever the squad yet mislaid retired to Atalanta.

"When you play with Wirtz, you announcement the difference," Leverkusen instrumentality Gareth Houston tells ESPN. "There's conscionable that small spot of spark missing erstwhile he's not there. We person different precise talented players successful the attacking positions, but there's nary 1 who tin regenerate his quality. There were truthful galore times erstwhile he'd conscionable prime up the shot and bash thing incredibly peculiar and you thought 'you can't regenerate that.' For me, he's been the standout player.

"He's got a estimation successful Germany arsenic being a small spot akin to idiosyncratic similar [Chelsea forward] Cole Palmer successful the consciousness that he's precise carefree; he's precise chill, he's precise happy. He conscionable loves playing football: there's a existent spark and joyousness astir him that you don't spot with galore players, and helium expresses that connected the pitch."

Wirtz has besides developed into a cardinal fixture successful Julian Nagelsmann's Germany side, having made his debut for the nationalist squad nether Joachin Low successful September 2021. He has already won 29 elder caps and has shown helium has an oculus for the large occasion, scoring an equalizer against Spain successful the quarterfinals of past summer's European Championship.

"Florian is conscionable a immense plus with his carefree nature," Barcelona brag Hansi Flick, who managed Germany from 2021-22, said of his erstwhile player. "He's simply an outstanding technician, loves to play, is precise creative, has a bully shot, runs hard and is quick. He's the afloat package."

The defining attacking footballer for the adjacent decade?

Considering Liverpool won the Premier League rubric astatine a canter -- yet finishing 10 points wide of second-placed Arsenal, clinching successful late-April -- Slot's squad are not successful request of large country this summer. However, contempt dominating domestically, the Reds' Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain successful the circular of 16 laid bare immoderate of the team's deficiencies, hinting astatine a request for much pace, guile and firepower.

"I deliberation we tin find 1 oregon 2 other weapons this squad doesn't have," Slot said successful May. "Maybe, maybe, by utilizing the transportation market. That is what we are trying to achieve. That volition marque america lone stronger."

Certainly, Wirtz would beryllium a potent attacking limb for immoderate squad successful satellite football, and his unsocial accomplishment acceptable should supply Slot with the other flair helium has been craving.

"Wirtz is arguably 1 of the champion out-and-out attacking playmakers successful the satellite close now," erstwhile scout Tor-Kristian Karlsen tells ESPN. "It's nary astonishment he's been courted by the biggest clubs successful satellite football. He's apt to beryllium the defining attacking footballer for the adjacent decade."

At Leverkusen, Wirtz often lined up arsenic a cardinal attacking midfielder, oregon a No.10, operating down a halfway forward. It remains to beryllium seen whether helium volition beryllium utilized successful a akin manner by Slot, oregon whether helium volition beryllium deployed successful a much precocious position, either connected the near helping oregon arsenic a mendacious No. 9. Wherever helium plays, helium volition apt beryllium tasked with becoming Liverpool's astir originative force, and his numbers surely suggest helium has each the ingredients to fulfil that demand.

Since the commencement of the 2023-24 season, lone Mohamed Salah (28) has much assists successful Europe's Big Five leagues than Wirtz (23). According to Opta, Wirtz ranked eighth for progressive passes successful the Bundesliga past play (155) and fashioned 2.1 chances from unfastened play per 90 minutes successful the Bundesliga (minimum of 1,000 minutes) -- much than immoderate of his Leverkusen teammates and lone somewhat little than Salah for Liverpool (2.3).

It is besides hoped that Wirtz tin assistance Slot's broadside regenerate the ingenuity of right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, who regularly helped the Reds to unlock stubborn defenses earlier helium joined Real Madrid successful June. Last season, Wirtz created 2.1 chances from unfastened play per 90 minutes compared to Alexander-Arnold's 1.6, portion Liverpool's caller signing besides surpassed the England planetary successful presumption of expected assists per 90 (0.36 to 0.28).

Perhaps astir crucially of all, though, Wirtz showed a willingness to enactment successful the hard yards for his squad during his clip astatine Leverkusen. He averaged 1.25 precocious turnovers per 90 minutes successful each competitions successful 2024-25; the astir among each Bundesliga players (minimum 1,500 minutes played). His awesome enactment complaint volition basal him successful bully stead astatine Anfield.

Expert view

Karlsen examines what makes Wirtz truthful special.

Equipped with superb method skills, Wirtz possesses an unthinkable quality to spot a tally from a teammate and prime the close pass. Operating successful the attacking pockets of abstraction masterfully, he's capable to make chances single-handedly and often takes connected defenders successfully.

This is particularly evident erstwhile he's capable to crook rapidly with the shot and abruptly up the tempo of a move. Indeed, lone Arsenal's Martin Ødegaard (or a highest Kevin De Bruyne) tin rival Wirtz for spontaneous, game-changing actions from cardinal attacking areas.

Averaging conscionable abbreviated of 70 passes per 90 minutes, the youngster is highly progressive successful the build-up and is ever looking for favorable positions to person the ball. He is besides a singular finisher. The bulk of his goals thin to travel from conscionable wrong the container (centrally), often executed aft cautiously picking his spot and applying the close gait connected the shot with his shooting technique.

A world-class subordinate with Ballon d'Or potential

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Why Florian Wirtz is simply a aboriginal Ballon d'or contender

Jan Aage Fjørtoft details the strengths of Florian Wirtz arsenic helium is named astatine No. 2 connected ESPN's 39 champion U21 players.

With specified an awesome assemblage of enactment already down him, it is nary astonishment that Wirtz was linked with galore of Europe's apical clubs earlier yet settling connected a determination to Anfield.

"Flo is 1 of the apical players successful the world," Alonso said successful a Leverkusen quality league past month. "He is satellite class. Flo has a precise mature mind. The radical astir him, his parents, they privation the champion for him. They are successful a precise important infinitesimal of his career."

That Wirtz has chosen to marque the leap to the Premier League alternatively than remaining successful his homeland is reflective of his eagerness to grow his horizons. His family, arsenic has go custom, person helped to usher his determination and their enactment volition beryllium needed to guarantee a seamless modulation to English football.

"[The transportation fee] is an other unit that the subordinate has arriving to Liverpool, a squad who already won the Premier League past season," erstwhile Liverpool midfielder Luis Garcia told the ESPN FC show.

"People volition beryllium expecting him to enactment his endowment connected the array consecutive away, but erstwhile you spot him play, my feeling is that helium doesn't consciousness that pressure. When he's connected the ball, he's got the quality to halt time, to halt the infinitesimal and person the composure to determine good ... to marque the pass, to instrumentality the shot. He's got that quality due to the fact that he's special. He's truthful calm, he's truthful acold successful the moments that helium needs to be."

Wirtz's adaptation to beingness connected Merseyside volition besides beryllium made easier by the beingness of bully person and erstwhile Leverkusen teammate Frimpong. With Frimpong charging guardant from close back, the brace person delivered a combined 111 extremity contributions for Leverkusen implicit the past 2 seasons, and that consciousness of familiarity could beryllium cardinal to helping some players consciousness astatine location some connected and disconnected the pitch.

"Florian and Jerry are some jokers," Houston says. "They're bully mates truthful I deliberation that'll assistance him hugely successful presumption of settling in. I'd accidental that astir apt influenced his determination rather heavily.

"Florian gets escaped reign astatine Leverkusen and I've been told that 1 of the things that tempted him to Liverpool is that they're going to physique the squad astir him. He's not a No. 10, he's not a winger, he's conscionable Florian Wirtz. There's thing helium can't bash and if you springiness him that freedom, helium conscionable expresses himself.

"If helium tin enactment injury-free and support grounded past the sky's the limit. At a squad similar Liverpool, helium could bash precise well. I deliberation he's got Ballon d'Or potential."