Florian Wirtz: What the German superstar will bring to Anfield after joining Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen - ‘Absolutely exceptional player’
By Jonny Bray
Updated 20/06/2025 at 19:59 GMT+1
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Florian Wirtz has completed his highly-anticipated move from German club Bayer Leverkusen to Premier League champions Liverpool. The midfielder looks set to be a key player for The Reds next term, having been one of the brightest creative forces in the Bundesliga for several seasons. With that in mind, we thought we would take a look at what he will bring to Arne Slot's Liverpool side.
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Liverpool may have ended four seasons of Manchester City hegemony at the top of the Premier League table, but the Reds are refusing to rest on their laurels.
Rather than stand still, Arne Slot's side have spent big in the summer transfer window.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has left Anfield and signed for Spanish giants Real Madrid, but Jeremie Frimpong has been brought in to replace him.
However, he is not the only star of Bayer Leverkusen's sensational 2023/2024 Bundesliga title-winning campaign who has joined the six-time UEFA Champions League winners.
German midfielder Florian Wirtz has completed a mouth-watering move to Liverpool for a reported £116 million fee, and Reds fans are understandably excited to see the 22-year-old added to their title-winning team.
With that in mind, we thought the time was right to take a closer look at what Wirtz will bring to Slot's squad.
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What will Wirtz bring to Liverpool?
Wirtz is all but guaranteed to bring goals and assists to Liverpool's midfield based on his statistics since the start of the 2023/2024 season.
The 22-year-old registered the second-most assists in Europe's top five leagues with 23 in that time period, just five fewer than his new teammate Mohamed Salah.
He is also in the top 15 players in those five leagues for goal contributions over the last two seasons, with 44, despite being a midfielder.
Only Salah (150), Martin Odegaard (139), Bruno Fernandes (137) and Cole Palmer (134) have created more chances than Wirtz (124) from open play in that time.
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Highlights: Wirtz stars as Leverkusen progress to last 16
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He is also in fine company when it comes to completing dribbles.
Wirtz is fourth in Europe's top five leagues since the 2023/2024 season with 161.
The only players to have completed more dribbles than him in that time are Lamine Yamal (231), Mohammed Kudus (216) and Jeremy Doku (203), and we know how threatening those three can be with the ball at their feet.
So, clearly, Liverpool have signed a midfielder who is not afraid to get forward, run at the opposition, and terrorise defences.
How does he compare to his new Liverpool team-mates?
Liverpool's midfield played a crucial role in their title win last term.
Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones were four of The Reds' most consistent performers, but Wirtz will bring something completely different to Slot's side.
Compared to his four new midfield counterparts, Wirtz made fewer appearances and, with the exception of Jones, played fewer minutes in the league last season.
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However, he still averaged more goals than all of them, with 0.38 per 90 minutes and is way ahead of Liverpool's other midfielders in terms of assists.
Gravenberch averaged 0.11 assists per 90 minutes last season, while Szoboszlai registered 0.22. Mac Allister had 0.17 and Jones ended the season with 0.16.
Compare that to Wirtz, who averaged an astounding 0.46 assists per 90 last season.
He also created more chances per 90, took more touches in the opposition box and completed more dribbles than his new Liverpool teammates did during their title-winning campaign.
'I have never seen a more talented player at Bayer'
Liverpool's two Premier League triumphs were defined by a hard-working and versatile midfield.
However, they will need more than that if Arsenal and Manchester City get back to their best next season.
They will need someone who can unlock a defence at the drop of a hat, and in the long term, they are crying out for a successor to produce numbers on the level of Mohamed Salah.
That is exactly what the Reds will be getting according to Eurosport Germany's Dennis Melzer.
"Liverpool fans can look forward to an outstanding footballer, Wirtz is an absolutely exceptional player," he said.
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Watch 'sensation' Wirtz dance through defence to score sumptuous solo goal
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"I have followed Leverkusen closely for over 30 years and have never seen a more talented player at Bayer 04.
"Flo Wirtz's biggest weapon is his technique, his ball control, his dribbling. In addition, he is always able to play the decisive pass and already has enormous footballing maturity for his age.
"He has extremely good decision-making on the pitch and seems to be one step ahead of his opponents before he receives the ball. He also has great qualities in front of goal."
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Wirtz fires Leverkusen ahead in Sparta Prague match
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Regarding where he would fit in amongst Liverpool's wealth of attacking talent, Melzer believed he would be most effective in central positions.
"The No. 10 is actually the predestined position for him," said Melzer. "If necessary, he could also play on the wing, but his great strength lies in the middle.
"He's a free spirit, I think it's difficult to put him in a corset. That's not to say he's not good tactically, he's just one of those players who has that special touch.
"However, I'm curious to see how quickly he acclimatizes to the more physically demanding Premier League."
Wirtz's statistics in recent years suggest he is more than capable of adding attacking flair to Liverpool's midfield next season.
However, perhaps more importantly, they suggest that in the long term, he can fill the gap Salah will inevitably leave when he calls time on his Liverpool career.
All statistics provided by Opta.
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