The latest remake of the movie “Fantastic Four” has just released last month, and Liverpool's transfer department – headed by Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes – seemed to be inspired by it.
Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike arrived from the Bundesliga with a total fee of about 200 million pounds to bring new shades to the attack of Liverpool, while Mohamed Salah extended the contract at the end of last season, making sure he would stay as a pillar for another two years.
However, it seems that Liverpool has not stopped. Newcastle's Alexander Isak is still the main goal, and according to The Athletic, an official offer was sent to be rejected. The Swedish striker has clarified the desire to leave this summer.
The prospect of Salah, Wirtz, Ekitike and Isak appeared in the squad that made Liverpool fans excited and made opponents wary. But that is not a natural attack quartet, because it includes a 10 (Wirtz), a right wing player (Salah) and two striker (Isak, Ekitike).
So can these 4 people play effectively together?
How can they work in the current system?
There is no doubt that everyone is talented enough to shine in Anfield. Of these, only Ekitike is considered a “development project”, although Wirtz is younger (22 years older than 23 of Ekitike).
Since joining Liverpool in 2017, Salah has proven the ability to adapt to anyone who kicks with him. Whether it's Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Luis Diaz or Cody Gakpo, the Egyptian player always knows how to score and support his teammates.
At the age of 33, Salah is still sublime and will benefit from the creative ability of Wirtz behind, the same sharp striker like Isak next to. Although Salah may not achieve the number of goals like last season, especially when he will be absent for a while because of the 2025 attendance, Liverpool can make up for that by dividing the scoring burden.
Wirtz is the one who can create opportunities in any position. He often finds the gaps between the routes, passes accurately and slows down or speeds up the pace of the match smartly.
In the friendly match winning Stoke 5-0, Wirtz created two indirect assists for Darwin Nunez and Rio Quamha. Before AC Milan, the German player continued to show the ability to read the situation and the top creation, creating a dangerous opportunity for Harvey Elliott.
Wirtz even shows the early connection with Salah – both often chatting, good interaction on the field and coordinating well. That signals a great potential combination between these two stars.
Isak or Ekitike?
A attack revolves around 3 of 4 names: Isak, Ekitike, Salah and Wirtz – plus the left Gakpo – may be the most suitable formula. But who of Isak and Ekitike will kick the main? If Isak joined with a record fee for England, he would almost certainly be the number one choice.
Ekitike hardly comes from the beginning in the center, but the flexibility is why Liverpool brought him home. The French player can kick, kick or deviate from left. However, he only played 4 matches on the left wing in his career, and has never been since 2021.
However, Isak's unstable physical condition also means that Ekitike will have many opportunities to turn around, especially when Isak has a history of groin injury. Coach Arne Slot is also a person who likes to rotate when there are two quality players in the same position, as he used to do with Gakpo/Diaz, Robertson/Tsimikas or Szoboszlai/Jones last season.
Slot can change the diagram?
A bold option is to rank both Isak and Ekitike kicking the striker, pushing the left-left wirtz and the Salah on the right, according to the 4-2-2-2 diagram. Ekitike used to play well in the two striker diagrams at Frankfurt when pairing with Omar Marmoush. But the problem is that Isak and Ekitike are quite similar in style, so it is easy to step on each other in the early stages.
Slot likes flexibility, so it is possible to let Wirtz bundle into the middle, Ekitike drifted or deep back to connect. Meanwhile, Gakpo is still a quality plan, scoring 19 goals last season and is in high form in the pre -season period.
Watch out?
The use of all 4 attackers increased defensive pressure, especially with two midfielders like Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister. If Slot chose a 4-2-2-2 diagram, they will have to cover a lot.
Szoboszlai may be the key. He used to take on the role of strong pressing and backwards to support the defense effectively. In any case, Slot will need to use the strategy, carefully calculating so as not to turn the Liverpool squad into “attaching non -eating pieces together”.
