For so many years, winning the Premier League was the great white whale for Liverpool, elusive and unattainable, always falling short in the race for England’s biggest prize.
Then Jurgen Klopp came along, and everything changed. The German restored Anfield to its former standing as a global superpower. Now he’s gone, and Liverpool are champions once again.
Arne Slot has proved the perfect successor, and he did it all without any proper first-team investment. That owes largely to Klopp’s midfield rebuild, and indeed his work with Michael Edwards and co over so many years, piecing together lasting stars who will continue to shine through the 2025/26 campaign.
But now, the signings are flowing through in cascades, with a deal wrapped up for Bayer Leverkusen right-sider Jeremie Frimpong and an agreement finally reached for his teammate, Florian Wirtz, who will become the most expensive player in British history.
It’s a lot of money for a 22-year-old playmaker, so how exactly is Wirtz going to improve Liverpool?
Why Liverpool have signed Wirtz
Liverpool have broken the bank to sign Wirtz, but sometimes, securing such a marquee deal is worth it. Having won the Premier League last season, the Reds are now consolidating their position at the top.
And Wirtz, having conquered his homeland, is ready to make the move to English football, where he could take Kevin De Bruyne’s vacated spot as the country’s foremost number ten.
As per FBref, the playmaker ranked among the top 2% of positional peers in the Bundesliga last year for assists, the top 6% for shot-creating actions, the top 1% for passes attempted and the top 5% for both progressive passes and progressive carries per 90.
Shot-creating actions are pieces of play that lead to a shot. These include moments such as a pass, take-on or foul being drawn.
Where Dominik Szoboszlai is industrious, Wirtz is incisive and influential to a different degree. Former Werkself striker Patrick Helmes has even gone as far as to say he’s “probably the best midfielder in the world.”
With Trent Alexander-Arnold gone, Liverpool will need to find new ways to maintain their peerless creativity; sparking chance after chance has been the foundation of their success in the Premier League across these recent successful years.
24/25
Liverpool
112
23/24
Liverpool
102
22/23
Liverpool & Man City
103
21/22
Liverpool
97
20/21
Liverpool
82
Curious that Trent created fewer big chances (15) than across any of Liverpool’s past four top-flight campaigns. Wirtz will fix all that, and if FSG secure a talented new striker, Liverpool may just reach a whole ‘nother level.
Liverpool interested in signing LaLiga striker
As per Diego Simeone, Liverpool are among the clubs interested in signing Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez this summer.
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The renowned manager was responding to a journalist’s comments on Atletico’s striker being one of the hottest commodities on the market, and Simeone said he was flattered, name-checking Arsenal, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain too.
Simeone stated: “Every club wants to sign Julián Álvarez. It’s logical. I can’t imagine it any other way. Of course every top club wants him—Barcelona, PSG, Arsenal, Liverpool… all of them. And for us, for Atlético fans, it should be a point of pride that everyone wants him. Why? Because he’s ours. And since he’s ours, we need to protect him. We have to make sure he feels happy. And how will he feel happy? By winning. And to get there, we all need to give 110%.”
The 25-year-old Alvarez has only been in the Spanish capital for a year, but he’s enjoyed a world-class campaign and boasts dynamic attacking properties that suggest he’d be tailor-made for Slot’s system.
However, Los Colchoneros would reportedly be seeking a figure as high as €170m (£142m) to part with their star man.
What Julian Alvarez would bring to Liverpool
Alvarez enjoyed his time at Manchester City, posting 55 goal contributions across 103 matches before earning Simeone’s attention. Atletico would then sign the silky forward for £81.5m.
This sparked derision from some, but Alvarez has since proved the doubters wrong, scoring 29 goals and supplying seven assists across 54 matches in all competitions.
He’s settled into his throne as the free-scoring frontman, but he’s far more than just a goalscorer, ranked among the top 4% of strikers across Europe last season for passes attempted, shot-creating actions and progressive carries, the top 8% for progressive passes and the top 12% for successful take-ons per 90, according to FBref.
You can only imagine how he would perform in Slot’s Liverpool system, with Wirtz pulling the strings behind him. Journalist Roy Nemer actually hailed Alvarez as “the best striker in the world” for his performances across the past year, not just striking true but working hard to outfox defenders and create space for teammates.
Moreover, he’s demonstrated a propensity to do it on the biggest stage, scoring a stunning goal against Real Madrid in Atletico’s controversial Champions League quarter-final defeat in March.
Considering Alvarez has a wealth of trophy-laden Premier League experience in Pep Guardiola’s system, Liverpool might just find themselves hitting even loftier targets next year,
As per Sofascore, the Argentina superstar only missed seven big chances across the 2024/25 La Liga campaign, converting 17 strikes. Given that he created 11 big chances and averaged 34.9 touches per game too (which is high for a centre-forward), Alvarez’s dynamic approach has been underscored.
Truly, he’s one of the deadliest and most multi-faceted forwards on the market, with exceptional off-the-ball movement that Slot could use to an emphatic effect, with Wirtz and Mohamed Salah making things happen around him.
Liverpool’s new playmaker created 17 big chances in the Bundesliga last season after winning the division’s Player of the Season award one year prior. Clearly, he’s got the world at his feet, and Alvarez would be the grateful recipient of his production if signed by Liverpool this summer.
Whether Liverpool have the financial means to bring Alvarez back to England remains to be seen. Certainly, FSG won’t green-light a deal in the ballpark of £142m.
However, if something more agreeable can be found, Liverpool have got to pounce on this one, for he would be the perfect fit for Slot’s set-up.
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