Liverpool news: ‘Everything about Wirtz screams success’

In Florian Wirtz, Liverpool have got “as close to a guarantee as you can get” that a player will be a success in the Premier League, says BBC Sport senior football correspondent Sami Mokbel.

It was reported on Friday that the Reds have agreed a £116m deal to sign Germany attacking midfielder Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, with the initial £100m fee a club record.

The 22-year-old made his debut for Leverkusen at the age of 17, scoring 57 goals in 197 games for the club, and helped them win the Bundesliga for the first time in 2024.

“He seems to have everything to cope with the rigors of European football,” Mokbel told BBC Radio Merseyside.

“He might be quite short, but he looks strong, his touch is beautiful, he is great in transition, he takes the ball on the half turn, everything about him screams success – he will be a success in English football.

“There is never a guarantee with these things, you are spending a lot of money but there is never a cast-iron guarantee that a player from abroad with adapt to Premier League football.

“What I think Liverpool have got with Florian Wirtz is as close to a guarantee as you can get that a player will adapt to play in England and be a success. I think he is that good.”

Wirtz is already one of the Bundesliga’s top performers at the age of 22, largely operating as a number 10 – a dynamic playmaker blessed with pace, awareness and the ability to make clever decisions at high speed.

He was the most effective dribbler of all Bundesliga players last season, both in terms of volume and accuracy while carrying the ball.

Twenty-three of his 31 Bundesliga appearances in 2024-25 came in an attacking midfield/number 10 berth, although he does tend to drift towards the left wing.

“His best position, and the position that has been earmarked him for him in talks with Arne Slot, is that number 10 central role,” German football expert Raphael Honigstein told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“In a slightly reshuffled Liverpool, more Dutch and more ‘Arne Slot’ team.

“He will be the fulcrum in attack. A player who can pick up spaces between the lines, has an eye for the killer ball but never loses sight of the goal. He can score goals himself and is very tenacious.

“A very modern number 10 and a player a lot of clubs wanted.”

Listen to the full discussion with Mokbel on BBC Sounds

Read more about where Wirtz will fit into Liverpool’s side