Florian Wirtz is the new blue-eyed boy of German football.
He is in heavy demand in England as well, and has reportedly rejected a club as successful as Manchester City recently.
Wirtz is now on the radar of Liverpool, with the Reds having reportedly put up a huge €130m offer for the German playmaker.
Bayern Munich, the German giants, are also in the race to get Wirtz’s services.
To be in such demand is not usual for a 21-year-old footballer. However, with 57 goals and more than 60 assists in less than 200 matches for Bayer Leverkusen, Wirtz has already made his mark quite emphatically on German football.
Liverpool’s and the No.10 Position
Since the days of Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool have not been playing with a typical No. 10.
They instead relied on two robust central midfielders to carry the ball forward and fall back quickly. Each of the likes of Jordan Henderson, Giorginio Wijnaldaum, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, who have all played as midfielders for Liverpool, were dynamic players who have relied a lot on their athleticism.
Hence, there was hardly a place for a No. 10 in their team.
It was quite different from a team like Manchester City, who have had a fine playmaker like Kevin De Bruyne in their ranks until the current season.
Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea all have their respective playmakers in the form of Martin Odegaard, Bruno Fernandes and Cole Palmer, respectively.
As Liverpool have lost Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid, they will have to depend less on getting quality delivery into the opposition penalty box, even considering the fact that they have acquired Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen.
Therefore, the tendency to shift towards having a proper No. 10 in place was always going to be the preferred way for Arne Slot’s men.
Mohamed Salah often plays as a de-fact playmaker for the Reds by shifting inside and playing lateral and diagonal passes to the other forwards in his team.
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Florian Wirtz’s Role
Florian Wirtz can make all the above pretty much redundant with his presence.
His vision and ability to find the forwards with inch-perfect passes can come in handy for any side, especially for the Reds.
The likes of Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz will depend a great deal to get the ball on the inside channels, as will Salah, from Wirtz, should the latter decide to come to Anfield.
Mac Allister himself is capable of playing as something of a de-facto playmaker with his wide range of passing.
However, Wirtz is definitely a more creative player than the Argentine and can add another dimension to Liverpool’s attack with his skillset.
In fact, it might culminate into a permanent shift in Liverpool’s approach from a more direct one to a possession-oriented one littered with short passes.
However, before that happens, the Reds will have to satisfy Leverkusen with a bigger offer than their already humongous one of €130m.
Still, Liverpool are definitely the frontrunners at the moment to sign the prodigiously talented German playmaker.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Sven Simon
Recording Date: 23.05.2025