Liverpool won the Premier League title with four games to spare — but next year, Arne Slot will want to improve even further. A big summer is coming, and only very elite players will improve on what the Reds already have.
In 2024, Slot and Richard Hughes did not do much on the transfer front. Federico Chiesa was the only new arrival last summer. Giorgi Mamardashvili will arrive from Valencia a year on, but there were areas of the team that could have done with one more body. This time around, the expectation is that things will be busier.
The policy, though, has long been that Liverpool will only sign players who it is sure will make a substantial difference. If those are not available, it will not make any move that is likely to only offer a marginal improvement.
This summer, however, a true game-changer is potentially going to be on the market.
Every top club in the world will be looking to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen — and Liverpool should be right in the mix for a playmaker who is fast becoming my favorite player.
Earlier this week, Liverpool.com reported that while it is not thought to be true that a meeting was held with Wirtz’s representatives, he is a player that the Reds like. Of course they do. Why wouldn’t they?
If he indicates that he wants to come to the Premier League, Liverpool could swoop in, though Bayern Munich is the leading contender for his signature, and he would cost well over $100M.
Manchester City has already made its intentions clear, with Wirtz being viewed as a possible replacement for the outgoing Kevin De Bruyne, according to The Athletic. Real Madrid, with Xabi Alonso heading to the Bernabeu, could enter the race too.
And no wonder. Combining Philippe Coutinho-like silkiness — the exact kind of quick-footed dribbling that is brilliant to watch — with ruthless numbers in the final third, Wirtz is one of the best number 10s in the world already — and he is still only 21.
With the ball at his feet, he is simply magical. Like with Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni, Wirtz is already world-class but still has the best years of his career ahead of him. This time, though, Liverpool should have a chance of sealing a deal.
(Image: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
If it can, Liverpool should do everything to get Wirtz to Anfield. He has made 33 goal contributions in 44 appearances in all competitions this season, and he glides across the turf.
That kind of lethal combination of looking good, working hard and producing elite numbers in terms of output is rare. Wirtz does all three and he has done for two seasons at least.
It will take something really special to improve Arne Slot’s roster, but Wirtz would be a game-changer for a team that is already comfortably the best in the country. If there is even the faintest possibility of it happening, Liverpool should be all over a transfer.
