Bayer Leverkusen's German midfielder #10 Florian Wirtz (R) celebrates with Bayer Leverkusen's Dutch defender #30 Jeremie Frimpong scoring his team's third goal during the UEFA Champions League football match Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs FC Salzburg in Leverkusen, western Germany on November 26, 2024.Bayer Leverkusen's German midfielder #10 Florian Wirtz (R) celebrates with Bayer Leverkusen's Dutch defender #30 Jeremie Frimpong scoring his team's third goal during the UEFA Champions League football match Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs FC Salzburg in Leverkusen, western Germany on November 26, 2024.
Bayer Leverkusen's German midfielder #10 Florian Wirtz (R) celebrates with Bayer Leverkusen's Dutch defender #30 Jeremie Frimpong scoring his team's third goal during the UEFA Champions League football match Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs FC Salzburg in Leverkusen, western Germany on November 26, 2024. | AFP via Getty Images
Liverpool have already signed Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz could be next, however, there is an elephant in the room overshadowing the former Bayer Leverkusen teammates.
If Mikel Arteta is to be believed, had Arsenal had a bit more luck with injuries, Liverpool would still be waiting to be crowned England’s champions for the 20th time.
The argument is as weak as the hamstrings of some of the Spanish manager’s squad members but it is a point worth paying attention to for Richard Hughes and Arne Slot.
Resilience and availability are oft underrated qualities in the modern footballer and Liverpool’s success can be largely attributed to having the likes of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk staying clear of the treatment room, it is also why they were offered such lengthy contracts.
Jeremie Frimpong’s long-term Bayer Leverkusen absence that Liverpool should be wary of
Frimpong is already in the door in a £29.5m deal that still feels like daylight robbery. A player classed as association trained due to his time at Man City’s academy has been acquired for some £30m less than the likes of Arron Wan-Bissaka, with a more impressive CV too.
Since 2019, Frimpong has played a lot of football after making his breakthrough as a teenager at Celtic. His form was so impressive that a plan to gradually introduce the right-back had to be scrapped to just let him play. As a dynamic player, Frimpong’s injury history looks relatively clear, aside from one long-term absence that will have been thoroughly checked on the 24-year old’s medical.
A syndesmosis ligament injury in his ankle is the type that never fully recovers, even if there hasn’t been a relapse since his 2022 time on the sidelines. Ankles can be particularly troublesome, especially for flying machines who make a living out of terrorising opposition defenders.
Why Florian Wirtz could be a major gamble in £126m deal
For Florian Wirtz, it is a different story, his quality as a player is in no doubt at all given his exploits with Leverkusen. The one injury that football fans are always wary of is an anterior cruciate ligament rupture. Liverpool fans in particular appreciate that returning to fitness is one thing and returning to form is another altogether.
Van Dijk looked a spent force at one point, only for time and patience to prove that the imperious centre-half only needed to blow the cobwebs off before becoming the defensive lynch pin once again. Wirtz suffered his ACL injury in 2022 and has had several injury related problems since. Thankfully, these have only equated to 10 games in total over the last three seasons.
For a British record transfer fee of over £126m, Liverpool’s medical staff will play a key role in any deal for the 22-year old playmaker. Players are more at risk of injury when they move club or change manager and both Frimpong and Wirtz – if he signs – will need to be carefully introduced to a new intensity of training.
Winning the Premier League at the first attempt gives Slot the perfect foundation to take Liverpool to the next level and managing the minutes of those who are key to success will be pivotal in its defence. As will making sure that those who are signed to join Slot’s revolution are seen in the starting XI and not the treatment room.
Continue Reading