How will Liverpool line up with Florian Wirtz? Three tactical options for Arne Slot with £116m Germany superstar

Ahead of the 2024/25 season, there were plenty of concerns that Liverpool had not been particularly active in the transfer market in support of new manager Arne Slot.

It turned out these fears were unfounded as the Reds stormed to Premier League glory with four games to spare. And they certainly aren't resting on their laurels.

On Friday, May 24, transfer journalist Sacha Tavolieri and The Athletic's David Ornstein reported that Liverpool had stolen a march on Bayern Munich in the pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen superstar Florian Wirtz.

After weeks of negotiations, the deal was finally concluded on June 20. The total fee Liverpool will pay, including add-ons, is a reported £116 million (€137.3m/$157.9m).

Wirtz becomes Liverpool's record signing and the fourth-most expensive transfer in football history when the total potential sum is taken into account.

It amounts to a huge statement of intent, especially after Wirtz's Leverkusen team-mate Jeremie Frimpong had already completed his move to Liverpool to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold.

But how will the best team in the Premier League this season line up with Wirtz in their ranks? There are a few options.

MORE: Arne Slot opens up on strengthening Liverpool squad after Arsenal and Man City admission

How will Liverpool line up with Florian Wirtz?

Slot has a handful of options at his disposal when it comes to getting the best out of Wirtz.

The master No. 10

The most obvious place in the team for Wirtz is as a No. 10 in Slot's favoured 4-2-3-1. The 22-year-old has built his reputation as a free-scoring attacking midfielder.

In this respect, he represents an upgrade on Dominik Szoboszlai, whose six goals and six assists in 35 Premier League appearances this season are solid but also part of the reason the goals burden falls so heavily upon Mohamed Salah.

By the same token, Szoboszlai has been vital to Slot in other ways. The Hungary international's boundless energy levels make him a huge asset out of possession. So, while a straight swap/upgrade might be the most obvious way to look at this, don't be surprised if Slot charts a different course.

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From the left

Wirtz's decorated time at Leverkusen will be remembered for him emerging as one of the best No. 10s in world football. However, in Xabi Alonso's preferred 3-4-2-1, he was not a lone central attacking midfielder. As such, Wirtz would frequently operate from and do damage in the channels.

It's not too much of a stretch to imagine him playing on the left of Liverpool's attack, with Szoboszlai keeping his spot centrally and proving a parallel goal threat to Salah. Slot's preference for attacking full-backs means Wirtz would hardly need to be a touchline-hugging winger.

Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo would be unlikely to welcome this as a great development, however, and perhaps there's another way for Slot to keep more of the players who won the title happy in a cohesive setup.

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Double false nines

Slot's march to Premier League glory has come without a consistently reliable centre-forward option. Darwin Nunez remains an erratic presence and is expected to move on this summer, while Diogo Jota's fitness record remains problematic.

For Liverpool's 2-0 win at Manchester City in February, Slot successfully fielded a 4-2-2-2 formation, with Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones operating as dual false nines. The setup worked well and is worth a run through with Wirtz on board.

Gakpo playing off the left would open up the scope for further positional rotation. It feels like this one has a lot going for it on paper.

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