Liverpool seemingly have a hefty chunk of change to spend in the summer transfer window, with the Reds getting linked with a new player each day.
One of Arne Slot’s main areas to strengthen in the summer will be his number nine, with the likes of Darwin Nunez being linked with a Saudi Arabian switch.
Indeed, Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz have both put in decent shifts at striker this season, but at the moment, it’s unclear whether they’ll even be here at the start of the 2025-26 season.
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
With this in mind, it begs the question of why Liverpool didn’t choose to go after Matheus Cunha, even though he only had a £62.5 million release clause.
Liverpool chose to focus on Florian Wirtz instead of Matheus Cunha this summer
One of the biggest stories to have emerged from Anfield over the last week or so is the fact that Liverpool are now leading the way for the transfer of Florian Wirtz.
The German has been the subject of interest for many clubs throughout the 2024-25 campaign, with Liverpool seemingly being his preferred destination.
And, as per a fresh report from the Daily Mail, it seems that Wirtz’s choice is what swayed Slot away from Cunha.
The report shares that the Reds were ‘certainly interested’ in the attacker and even considered getting involved in ‘conversations’ regarding his future.
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However, due to the form of players such as Dominik Szoboszlai and Gakpo, Slot chose to turn his attention to other targets.
The Daily Mail go on to say that Liverpool weren’t ‘100 per cent convinced’ about how he’d fit into their system, especially with Wirtz becoming their ‘number one priority.’
Photo by Pau Barrena/Getty Images
Photo by Pau Barrena/Getty Images
Liverpool chose correctly by going after Florian Wirtz rather than Matheus Cunha
There’s no denying that Cunha is an exceptional player, but the fact that he’s 26 years old and has never been able to perform for a top-level team would have been a slight cause for concern.
And, even though Wirtz is more inexperienced, the fact that he’s only 22 and is already deemed to be one of the best attacking midfielders in the world outlines why the Reds chose to focus their attention on the German.
Wirtz has also had a much stronger season than Cunha, with the Bayer Leverkusen ace even chipping in with a fair few assists for his teammates.
Player Games Goals Assists
Matheus Cunha 36 17 6
Florian Wirtz 45 16 15
The 2024-25 seasons of Florian Wirtz and Matheus Cunha in numbers.
Indeed, only time will tell whether Liverpool made the right choice, but the fact that Lothar Matthaus said that it pained him to see Bayern Munich miss out on Wirtz outlines how good of a player the German actually is.