Liverpool lifted the Premier League trophy on Sunday after a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.
There were scenes of jubilation at Anfield this weekend as Liverpool lifted the league title, and it’s been a great week for the Reds in another regard too.
Indeed, Liverpool have been busy on the transfer front over the past week. Jeremie Frimpong is set to sign for Liverpool, Milos Kerkez is on Arne Slot’s radar, while Liverpool are closing in on Florian Wirtz.
Wirtz is set to join Liverpool in the near future, but, he may now be set for a tougher start to life at Anfield.
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Ryan Gravenberch makes life harder for Florian Wirtz
Amid Liverpool’s title procession, there was a worrying incident in Sunday’s game vs Crystal Palace.
Indeed, Ryan Gravenberch was sent off against the Eagles, and while this was the final game of the season, red card suspensions do carry over to next year.
The £35m man will miss the first few games of next season, and that makes life just that much harder for Florian Wirtz.
Wirtz is joining Liverpool as the club’s new marquee attacking midfield talent, but without Gravenberch behind him, the midfield may well be unbalanced at the start of next season, not allowing Wirtz to shine.
Alexis Mac Allister or Wataru Endo will have to fill in that number six role, and that just isn’t the ideal midfield blend for Liverpool or for Wirtz.
Wirtz will have wanted to hit the ground running at Anfield, but that will be a tad more difficult now that Gravenberch is going to miss the beginning of the campaign.
Florian Wirtz record with and without Granit Xhaka
Wirtz will be joining a Liverpool side that, initially won’t have their first-choice defensive midfield option available to them.
That is a problem as an attacking-midfielder as your workload increases and your ability to express yourself diminishes.
At Bayer Leverkusen, Wirtz often played his best football when Granit Xhaka was in the team, as the stats show.
Florian Wirtz with Granit Xhaka Florian Wirtz without Granit Xhaka
91 Games 107
34 Goals 23
34 Assists 31
Of course, Wirtz will only have three games without Gravenberch at the start of next season, but it is still frustrating, because building momentum early when you join a new club is vital for any player making a big transfer.
Wirtz has every reason to be frustrated with Gravenberch after he received his red card on Sunday.