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4 hours ago
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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.
If the deal goes through for a reported £126 million (€150m/$170.6m), Wirtz would become Liverpool's record signing, the biggest Premier League buy of all-time and the third most expensive transfer in football history.
It amounts to a huge statement of intent, especially after Wirtz's Leverkusen team-mate Jeremie Frimpong completed his medical at Liverpool earlier in the week.
But how will the best team in the Premier League this season line up with Wirtz in their ranks? There are a few options.
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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 — assuming the deal goes ahead, of course.
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.
FotMob
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.
FotMob
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.
FotMob
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