Liverpool's £100m game-changer to help RETAIN the Premier League

Yahoo

6 days ago

Liverpool have spent this summer attempting to level-up Arne Slot's Premier League winning side.
Naturally, you would expect there to be little wrong that needs sorting, but in fact, a whole world of upgrades were available to the Reds in the market and the club felt immediate action was required.
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At left-back, the addition of Milos Kerkez will sure-up the defence massively. He was last season's standout full-back and he will be hugely important to helping Liverpool succeed moving forward.
Likewise, the transfer of Jeremie Frimpong solved plenty of issues, not just replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold but also providing Slot with a flexible attacker to help Mohamed Salah.
But there has been one addition that stands above the rest and the impact of his arrival hasn't yet been fully comprehended, and it's Florian Wirtz - who will take the team to a whole other level.
Liverpool have a generational talent
Of course, by just looking at his £100m fee plus £16m in add-ons, you will assume that Wirtz is something special. That financial agreement would break the English transfer record if he succeeds.
And if you noticed his time at Leverkusen, then you can understand that he is an extraordinary talent, since he is a former Bundesliga player of the season and he has 119 goal and assists at 22-years-old.
But looking at him in Liverpool's pre-season campaign has been something else and the stats really don't do him justice. His 45 minute cameo against AC Milan in pre-season was breathtaking to watch.
Countless times he would receive the ball in the pockets, completely composed despite the opposition closing in on him, assessing the field before threading the perfect pass forwards.
Statistically, his performance was innocuous with one successful dribble, one inaccurate cross and winning one of his two ground duels, alongside losing possession six times and making 29 passes.
But his skill and potential jumped at you through the screen and that was far more impressive to see.
Prior to his ACL injury, Rodri at Manchester City was crowned the best player in the world by winning the Ballon d'Or and the main asset in his game was dictating play from deep, with dominant displays.
In Wirtz, the Reds have a difference-maker in attack and he's already exceeding fans' expectations.
Liverpool haven't ever really struggled to score goals. Last season, 86 were scored in the league - 14 more than any other team - and this was with the struggle Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez in the side.
Of course, we now have Hugo Ekitike who will be a threat in the box and it currently feels as though a move for Alexander Isak might also be on the cards, but the Wirtz should still be taking the headlines.
Against a low block, the skills he excels at will be paramount to ensuring Liverpool have a reasonable chance of defending their title. With him in the team, Arne Slot 2.0 is a far more dangerous outfit.