Florian Wirtz brings additional creativity to Liverpool's squad, after the £ 116 million transfer deal from Bayer Leverkusen this summer. And he soon revealed his talent through the pre -season performance last season Athletic Bilbao.
No concern about the transfer price
The transfer price of Wirtz if adding an additional fee is £ 116 million. This is not only the most expensive contract in the club history but also the record of English football. Maybe Leverkusen once shouted at £ 130 million and then Liverpool negotiated somehow to help Wirtz help pressure, but this fee is still a terrible pressure.
However, that is not a problem with Wirtz. “I don't think about it,” he said. “I just want to play football, and the fact that the clubs pay each other is not important.” No pressure, or at least he does not create pressure on himself. Of course, it is likely that he will only hold the title of the most expensive contract in Liverpool history for several weeks, because the club is trying to recruit Alexander Isak at a higher price.
It was the Isak deal that partly helped Wirtz be considered to be considered, although he absolutely deserves his own attention. Wirtz played at Anfield in Leverkusen, where he and his teammates lost 0-4 against Liverpool in the Champions League last season. But the first match of Liverpool is a more pleasant experience: 3-2 victory over Athletic Bilbao.
He also did not have to worry about waiting for a new striker to dock, because that person came: Hugo Ekitike, another star from the Bundesliga. Previously Wirtz had faced Ekitike and now he has the task of supporting the rookie of the French.
“He is a very good player,” Wirtz commented. “I enjoyed watching him play for Frankfurt and was happy that he joined Liverpool. During the training sessions, he performed well and in the match, we also had some noticeable coordination.”
Liverpool's “new brain”
Wirtz was bought to connect, create, become an organized brain in the Slot squad. “I will try to move to reasonable positions to receive the ball, create danger and create opportunities,” he said. In fact, he is expected to replace the creative role of Trent Alexander-Arnold even though he plays in another position. Slot believes that Wirtz's creativity can partly fill that space.
He can kick like a number 10, virtual striker or left deviation. In the debut, he was ranked as the “conductor” behind the striker. “I think I am a player who needs freedom on the pitch, and the coach gave me that,” Wirtz said. The freedom helps him break the defensive blocks. And the fact that he achieved more than 10 goals and 10 assists in each recent Bundesliga season is a clear evidence for the ability to deal diverse damage.
Wirtz was once sought by Real Madrid, Man City and Bayern Munich, but chose Liverpool because they felt that they were suitable for Arne Slot's strategy. “I came here because I thought I could integrate well with this squad,” Wirtz shared. The Community Shield match with Crystal Palace next Sunday will be the first test for that hypothesis. But by this point, Liverpool is very satisfied with what they see.
With Wirtz, there is another pressure waiting: Liverpool once won the Premier League without him, and now, after the “blockbuster” transfer, they are expected to do it again. “Of course, the biggest challenge is the championship again,” Wirtz admitted. “And that's the hardest thing.” But again, he still said it with an incredible calm.
Not afraid of slender body
Wirtz may be slender compared to the Premier League body, but very agile. “I try to create opportunities, actively support defense, run a lot to contribute to the team and when I have the ball, I want to help my teammates have more favorable situations,” he said.
