'He can do anything': Why Liverpool spent big to sign Wirtz

Even Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso couldn't believe it. After watching Florian Wirtz dance through a crowd of SC Freiburg defenders in October 2023 to give his side a precious lead on their way to the Bundesliga title, the former Spain international simply raised his eyebrows on the touchline.

It was a quiet acknowledgment of Wirtz's brilliance, and Alonso's sentiments were echoed after the match by Freiburg coach Christian Streich, who simply claimed: "You can't defend against Florian Wirtz."

That hypothesis will be tested more rigorously than ever before next season following Wirtz's £100 million move (plus £16m in add-ons) from Leverkusen to Liverpool. The 22-year-old playmaker has become Arne Slot's second arrival of the summer, after the £30m signing of his teammate Jeremie Frimpong, with Liverpool obliterating their own transfer record (the £75m paid to sign defender Virgil van Dijk from Southampton in January 2018), but not quite breaking the British transfer record (Chelsea's £106.8m signing of Enzo Fernández).

On paper, Wirtz is arguably the most exciting signing in world football this summer. Having enjoyed a meteoric rise at Leverkusen, the Germany international is already regarded as one of Europe's most prodigious talents and, in joining the Premier League champions, he has secured a huge platform on which to showcase his abilities.

It is also a move that has caught many by surprise, with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich or LaLiga giants Real Madrid (after they hired Alonso) viewed as Wirtz's most likely destination. However, a source told ESPN that Slot's vision proved the compelling factor in the player's decision to move to Merseyside.

Wirtz was identified as the man to take the Dutchman's Liverpool project to the next level. So here is everything you need to know.

The youngest of 10 siblings, it is perhaps little wonder that family is at the center of Wirtz's world. The midfielder was raised in the rural town of Pulheim, just outside of Cologne, and began his youth career with local team SV Grün-Weiß Brauweiler, where his father Hans-Joachim -- also his agent -- is still the chairman.

"He and the ball were always just one; you could see that early on when I played against him or when we did things together with the football," Wirtz's sister Juliane, also a professional footballer for Werder Bremen, told the official Bundesliga website in 2023.

"Even just the way he looked at the ball. The fact is that he has a lot of talent, but he's also done a lot [in terms of working] on it. Early on, from when he was really young, you could tell that boy would have something to do with football."

Indeed, Wirtz's talent and application soon earned him a move to FC Cologne, where he spent more than a decade in the club's academy before joining Leverkusen in 2020. It was during his time at the BayArena that the midfielder established himself as one of the Bundesliga's brightest stars, registering 57 goals and 65 assists in 197 club appearances.

After recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury sustained in 2022, Wirtz evolved into Leverkusen's creative fulcrum under Alonso, starring as the club defied the odds to clinch its first-ever league title, even going unbeaten, in 2023-24, as well as winning the DFB-Pokal and reaching the UEFA Europa League final, where the team ultimately lost out to Atalanta.

"When you play with Wirtz, you notice the difference," Leverkusen fan Gareth Houston tells ESPN. "There's just that little bit of spark missing when he's not there. We have other very talented players in the attacking positions, but there's no one who can replace his quality. There were so many times when he'd just pick up the ball and do something incredibly special and you thought 'you can't replace that.' For me, he's been the standout player.

"He's got a reputation in Germany as being a little bit similar to someone like [Chelsea forward] Cole Palmer in the sense that he's very carefree; he's very chill, he's very happy. He just loves playing football: there's a real spark and joy about him that you don't see with many players, and he expresses that on the pitch."

Wirtz has also developed into a key fixture in Julian Nagelsmann's Germany side, having made his debut for the national team under Joachin Low in September 2021. He has already won 29 senior caps and has shown he has an eye for the big occasion, scoring an equalizer against Spain in the quarterfinals of last summer's European Championship.

"Florian is just a huge asset with his carefree nature," Barcelona boss Hansi Flick, who managed Germany from 2021-22, said of his former player. "He's simply an outstanding technician, loves to play, is very creative, has a good shot, runs hard and is quick. He's the full package."

Considering Liverpool won the Premier League title at a canter -- ultimately finishing 10 points clear of second-placed Arsenal, clinching in late-April -- Slot's squad are not in need of major surgery this summer. However, despite dominating domestically, the Reds' Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 laid bare some of the team's deficiencies, hinting at a need for more pace, guile and firepower.

"I think we can find one or two extra weapons this team doesn't have," Slot said in May. "Maybe, maybe, by using the transfer market. That is what we are trying to achieve. That will make us only stronger."

Certainly, Wirtz would be a potent attacking weapon for any team in world football, and his unique skill set should provide Slot with the extra flair he has been craving.

"Wirtz is arguably one of the best out-and-out attacking playmakers in the world right now," former scout Tor-Kristian Karlsen tells ESPN. "It's no surprise he's been courted by the biggest clubs in world football. He's likely to be the defining attacking footballer for the next decade."

At Leverkusen, Wirtz often lined up as a central attacking midfielder, or a No.10, operating behind a center forward. It remains to be seen whether he will be used in a similar fashion by Slot, or whether he will be deployed in a more advanced position, either on the left wing or as a false No. 9. Wherever he plays, he will likely be tasked with becoming Liverpool's most creative force, and his numbers certainly suggest he has all the ingredients to fulfil that demand.

Since the start of the 2023-24 season, only Mohamed Salah (28) has more assists in Europe's Big Five leagues than Wirtz (23). According to Opta, Wirtz ranked eighth for progressive passes in the Bundesliga last season (155) and fashioned 2.1 chances from open play per 90 minutes in the Bundesliga (minimum of 1,000 minutes) -- more than any of his Leverkusen teammates and only slightly less than Salah for Liverpool (2.3).

It is also hoped that Wirtz can help Slot's side replace the ingenuity of right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, who regularly helped the Reds to unlock stubborn defenses before he joined Real Madrid in June. Last season, Wirtz created 2.1 chances from open play per 90 minutes compared to Alexander-Arnold's 1.6, while Liverpool's new signing also surpassed the England international in terms of expected assists per 90 (0.36 to 0.28).

Perhaps most crucially of all, though, Wirtz showed a willingness to put in the hard yards for his team during his time at Leverkusen. He averaged 1.25 high turnovers per 90 minutes in all competitions in 2024-25; the most among all Bundesliga players (minimum 1,500 minutes played). His impressive work rate will stand him in good stead at Anfield.

Karlsen examines what makes Wirtz so special.

Equipped with brilliant technical skills, Wirtz possesses an incredible ability to spot a run from a teammate and pick the right pass. Operating in the attacking pockets of space masterfully, he's able to create chances single-handedly and often takes on defenders successfully.

This is especially evident when he's able to turn quickly with the ball and suddenly up the tempo of a move. Indeed, only Arsenal's Martin Ødegaard (or a peak Kevin De Bruyne) can rival Wirtz for spontaneous, game-changing actions from central attacking areas.

Averaging just short of 70 passes per 90 minutes, the youngster is highly active in the build-up and is always looking for favorable positions to receive the ball. He is also a remarkable finisher. The majority of his goals tend to come from just inside the box (centrally), often executed after carefully picking his spot and applying the right pace on the ball with his shooting technique.

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With such an impressive body of work already behind him, it is no surprise that Wirtz was linked with many of Europe's top clubs before ultimately settling on a move to Anfield.

"Flo is one of the top players in the world," Alonso said in a Leverkusen news conference last month. "He is world class. Flo has a very mature mind. The people around him, his parents, they want the best for him. They are in a very important moment of his career."

That Wirtz has chosen to make the leap to the Premier League rather than remaining in his homeland is reflective of his eagerness to expand his horizons. His family, as has become custom, have helped to guide his decision and their support will be needed to ensure a seamless transition to English football.

"[The transfer fee] is an extra pressure that the player has arriving to Liverpool, a team who already won the Premier League last season," former Liverpool midfielder Luis Garcia told the ESPN FC show.

"People will be expecting him to put his talent on the table straight away, but when you see him play, my feeling is that he doesn't feel that pressure. When he's on the ball, he's got the ability to stop time, to stop the moment and have the composure to decide well ... to make the pass, to take the shot. He's got that ability because he's special. He's so calm, he's so cold in the moments that he needs to be."

Wirtz's adaptation to life on Merseyside will also be made easier by the presence of good friend and former Leverkusen teammate Frimpong. With Frimpong charging forward from right back, the pair have delivered a combined 111 goal contributions for Leverkusen over the past two seasons, and that sense of familiarity could be key to helping both players feel at home both on and off the pitch.

"Florian and Jerry are both jokers," Houston says. "They're good mates so I think that'll help him hugely in terms of settling in. I'd say that probably influenced his decision quite heavily.

"Florian gets free reign at Leverkusen and I've been told that one of the things that tempted him to Liverpool is that they're going to build the team around him. He's not a No. 10, he's not a winger, he's just Florian Wirtz. There's nothing he can't do and if you give him that freedom, he just expresses himself.

"If he can stay injury-free and keep grounded then the sky's the limit. At a team like Liverpool, he could do very well. I think he's got Ballon d'Or potential."