Liverpool star Mohamed Salah
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah
Few transfers in recent memory have generated as much excitement as the potential arrival of at over the past two weeks.
The saga began at the end of last month, with widespread acceptance that the 22-year-old would likely remain in Germany, either by staying at Bayer Leverkusen or making the switch to Bayern Munich. Then came the bombshell - and talks with new head coach are rumoured to have played a major role in his decision-making.
Now, Liverpool supporters are refreshing social media every few minutes and have notifications turned on for every major journalist, anxiously awaiting the highly anticipated news that a fee has been agreed with Leverkusen. Fears of the deal collapsing have been eased by continued reports in both the German and English media, with all parties said to be confident that a move will be completed sooner rather than later.
The latest update is that £100 million of which would be guaranteed, with the remaining £13 million in achievable add-ons.
There has been no confirmation yet on whether that offer has been accepted or rejected by Leverkusen, but recent suggestions that the deal is closer than ever will allow optimistic Liverpool fans to believe that an agreement could be imminent - and to start dreaming about how Wirtz might fit into Slot’s Premier League title-winning side.
One player in particular will likely be rubbing his hands at the prospect of linking up with one of the most talented and creative up and coming No.10s in world football. In truth, describing Wirtz as 'up and coming' may be doing him a disservice, given everything he’s already achieved at Leverkusen. But at just 22, it’s clear there are still greater heights to reach.
Last season, Wirtz registered 10 goals and 13 assists in the Bundesliga. Seven of those assists were for Patrick Schick, with the pair forming one of the most productive attacking partnerships in German football last term.
If Wirtz can bring that same creative spark to Liverpool and start laying on chances for Mohamed Salah with similar regularity, the Egyptian could be in line for yet another prolific season. Salah matching his 29 Premier League goals from last term may be a tall order, but having a player of Wirtz’s vision and quality alongside him could go a long way in helping him get close.
Wirtz’s presence could also give Salah more freedom. There’s no denying Salah remains Liverpool’s most dangerous and consistent attacking threat, but towards the end of last season, opposition sides began finding ways to restrict his influence.
That could change with Wirtz in the mix. Opponents will be forced to account for both him and Salah - an unenviable task for any manager, but a dream scenario for Slot as he aims to make his side more unpredictable, fluid, and difficult to stop than ever before.