Florian Wirtz could fill the void left by Kevin De Bruyne and become the Premier League's next great attacking midfielder, Reds expert David Lynch has argued.
The Merseysiders have significantly bolstered their offensive ranks having brought Wirtz to Anfield from Bayer Leverkusen for a fee that could rise to £116m.
Many expect the playmaker to be positioned in a central role in attack, and some supporters have claimed that the 22-year-old may soon be recognised as the division's best number 10 now that De Bruyne has left England.
When asked by Sports Mole if Wirtz could fill De Bruyne's shoes, Lynch did not disagree, saying: "There's potential for that that. Obviously you want to be very wary before he takes to the pitch and make any snap judgments. We've seen so many great players come from other leagues and struggle to make that leap.
"Of course, those are huge shoes to fill and you don't want to start promising that this is the next De Bruyne because his impact on the Premier League has been absolutely ridiculous down the years. He's one of the greatest players ever to grace the league.
"He's certainly an exciting player and there are parallels with De Bruyne in terms of age when he came over from the Bundesliga where he'd been the dominant player, and Wirtz is very much in that ilk. The hope will be that he can forge a similar career at Liverpool."
De Bruyne managed to win six Premier League titles, one Champions League title and a host of domestic cups during his time with Manchester City, and Reds boss Arne Slot will want to launch a similar dynasty at Liverpool with Wirtz playing a key role.
Florian Wirtz - now of Liverpool - during his Bayer Leverkusen days in May 2025
What makes Wirtz so good?
Wirtz is renowned for his creativity and ability to influence play in the final third, with the attacker having scored 16 goals and provided 14 assists in all competitions for Leverkusen last term.
The German is an exceptional dribbler, and he has also shown that he can influence early phases of buildup, especially against aggressive opponents.
Lynch expressed his view that while Wirtz is not as physical as De Bruyne, the 22-year-old has everything he needs to succeed, telling Sports Mole: "You look at Florian Wirtz and the one small thing you might be worried about is that he's not the strongest, but I'm being overly cautious there because his talent is clear.
"It doesn't seem like he's had too many troubles coming up against physical players because he's just so quick, so smart and so good with his feet. So there's potential for him to be [great].
"I've been banging the drum for a while, talking about the idea that Liverpool have desperately needed a forward who is closer to Mo Salah for the last couple of years."
Wirtz ended the 2024-25 Bundesliga season having won the second most duels (383) of any player in the top flight, and though he might not be as powerful as De Bruyne, he is able to compete physically.
Germany's Florian Wirtz celebrates scoring on November 16, 2024
Is Wirtz key to a post-Salah world?
The acquisition of Wirtz could be key for the future of Liverpool's attack considering talisman Mohamed Salah is 33 and may not have many years left at the top level.
Salah signed a new contract prior to the end of 2024-25 to extend his stay at Anfield for another two seasons, but Wirtz is just 22 and could be at the forefront of the team for years to come.
Lynch spoke glowingly about the future of the Reds' attack, when he told Sports Mole: "Liverpool's attack has long felt to me like Mo Salah - the outstanding star - and then a few support acts around him, people like Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez.
"The upside of Wirtz is that you get a couple of years of him being in the team with Mo Salah, and then when Salah does depart you've already got part of the solution there, and that's when you go out and seek your true Mo Salah replacement, that's how move forward.
"Liverpool have signed Salah to a contract and got ahead of the problem [of his exit with Wirtz], and they're going to get a couple of years of the two of them together, which is Wirtz feeding Salah and vice versa. Both are up there for creativity and the ability to finish, so the idea of them feeding off each other is exciting."
Considering Wirtz is just 22 years old, he could feasibly lead Liverpool's forward line for the better part of a decade before his time at Anfield is up.
> Click here to listen to the full discussion on the comparisons between Wirtz and De Bruyne
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