Liverpool's best business of summer window isn't Florian Wirtz

Florian Wirtz may be the standout signing for Arne Slot's Liverpool this summer, yet Giovanni van Bronckhorst could turn out to be the masterstroke.

The departure of Johnny Heitinga, the unsung hero behind Liverpool's Premier League success last term, to Ajax was a tough pill to swallow.

However, the Reds have acted quickly, bringing in the highly experienced and decorated van Bronckhorst as a top-tier replacement. With seven trophies under his belt from stints in the Netherlands, Scotland, and Turkey, van Bronckhorst brings a wealth of success to the table.

Notably, the ex-Arsenal and Barcelona defender, who has 105 caps for the Netherlands, has even outshone Slot at Feyenoord with five trophies and led them to their first Eredivisie title in nearly two decades.

It's no shocker that he's eager to team up with his fellow Dutchman at Anfield, as they eye an unprecedented 21st English league title. Van Bronckhorst has previously lauded Slot, saying: "Arne Slot is an exceptional coach in my eyes, he is showing great things with Liverpool and is doing that in the toughest league in the world.

"I have seen it as an Arsenal player: the Premier League is extremely tough. But Arne was successful in his first year and he's a really great coach. He's also been sacked once in his career at AZ Alkmaar, a sacking hurts."

Van Bronckhorst, the man who led Rangers to the Europa League final in 2022, has been without a job since his dismissal from Besiktas last November.

Having worked under the likes of Arsene Wenger, Frank Rijkaard and Guus Hiddink, he had grown frustrated with the lack of patience in today's football world.

This is exactly why the chance to be part of Slot's Dutch revolution at Anfield was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.

Reflecting on his time at Besiktas, the 50 year old said: "The year before I arrived they had finished 43 points behind the champions. You can't close that gap in four months but clubs don't have patience anymore, the pressure is huge."

Although this is his first coaching role in England, he knows what it takes to bring out the best in some of the world's top players.

Being fluent in both German and Spanish, Van Bronckhorst will be able to assist with the integration of £116 million signing Wirtz and goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who is joining from Valencia.

This will also provide an additional line of communication with Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez, should they remain at the club.

Moreover, it's worth remembering that Van Bronckhorst was a key leader in a Barcelona dressing room that won the Champions League and included both Ronaldinho and a young Lionel Messi.

Speaking about the Brazilian, Van Bronckhorst, who won 22 trophies as a player, said: "Ronaldinho regularly rocked up for training wearing Havaianas flip flops.

"The year before I arrived they had finished 43 points behind the champions. You can't close that gap in four months but clubs don't have patience anymore, the pressure is huge."

"You could see the sand from the Barca beach between his toes and he'd tell us he couldn't train that day. We'd push him but knew in the next match, he'd excel again.

"I used to play behind him on the left and I never knew what he was going to do! He'd tell me 'just run forward and come join me on the flank' - if anyone showed me how to enjoy the game, it was him!"

He also witnessed the day Messi came of age, concluding: "We played a friendly against Porto, our team was made up of youth players.

"Messi was 16 and only talked with his feet, Rijkaard gave him eight minutes and our assistant coach Henk ten Cate called me later that night and said 'this kid is the new star, he will replace Ronaldinho'.''=

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