Florian Wirtz has been the talk of the town since Liverpool were reported to be the only team interested in acquiring his services this summer.
The Anfield outfit have finally agreed upon a fee with Bayer Leverkusen that is said to be worth around £116million after a couple of weeks of negotiations.
Even though the transfer window hasn’t fully opened yet, many have touted Liverpool to have made the best signing of the summer in Wirtz, with most regarding him as the best number 10 in the world.
Arne Slot looks likely to make many changes to his Liverpool squad this season, with some already taking place.
Arne Slot looks on prior to the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Crystal Palace FC at Anfield.
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Ahead of Wirtz’s move, many reports have surfaced regarding why Liverpool want to break their club-record fee for the attacking midfielder, but now, the main thing Slot likes about the player has been revealed.
Arne Slot likes Florian Wirtz due to the versatility he can offer
On paper, there are many reasons why the likes of Manchester City and Bayern Munich wanted to acquire the services of Wirtz, but for Slot, there was one in particular.
That is according to a report from Ben Jacobs, who outlines that Wirtz’s ‘versatility’ was the major selling point.
With his goal-scoring ability just an added bonus to what he can offer.
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“Liverpool believe Wirtz will prove outstanding value, despite the significant outlay, while it’s understood Slot values not just his goal contributions but versatility,” Jacobs wrote for GiveMeSport.
Florian Wirtz in action for Bayern Leverkusen
Photo by Pau Barrena/Getty Images
Florian Wirtz could end up filling in for Luis Diaz
Although Wirtz’s goal contributions are one of the best things about him, it seems like most people believe his versatility is also a major selling point.
A few years ago, players often just plied their trade in one position, but now they seem to be expected to play in at least two.
Take Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz for example, both are natural left wingers, but Slot opted to play them as number nines for most of the 2024-25 campaign due to the lack of form shown by Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota.
Player Games Goals Assists
Diogo Jota 37 9 4
Cody Gakpo 49 18 7
Darwin Nunez 47 7 7
Luis Diaz 50 17 8
The 2024-25 seasons of Diogo Jota, Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz in numbers.
Looking at their profiles, you wouldn’t have expected the duo to be as effective as number nines, but in reality, they’ve been some of the Dutchman’s best players.
Wirtz can play as a left winger, an attacking midfielder or even a number nine if needed, with former Premier League coach Edu Gaspar believing he could be used as a winger by Slot.
At the end of the day, there’s no knowing how things are going to pan out for the German at Anfield, but with the way he’s progressed over the last few years, it’s hard to see how he’s going to fail.