- First, the best player available on the market is choosing to play for our club (a sign that outside perception of the "LFC 2.0 Project" is very favorable).
- Next, Wirtz replacing Diogo/Darwin improves the XI immediately, the Champions getting better! (we need to retain Lucho to sustain that improvement but it's a big improvement).
- It also improves the midfield which is very tough to do. As Josh points out, when Macca or Ryan need a rest, Wirtz can play the 10 with Dom at the 8 and Macca or Ryan in the deepest role.
- Lastly, Wirtz also seems to lay the cornerstone of our attack for the post-Mo era (2027-28+). He just turned 22 and, as Josh described, has it all as a central attacker (whether false 9, or AM). It'll be interesting to watch Hughes build the future squad around him.
Your second point is the most important one. It is HARD to get players that make us better. Wirtz is one. We do not just need players, we need great players that make us better!
This excellent piece has reminded me that Mac Allister was highlighted as an excellent Zone 14 player when Liverpool signed him (eg https://x.com/pranav_m28/status/1678090344016105476). He gets the ball into Wirtz, who can pick out any of the forwards or the very advanced full-backs. Sounds good to me.
Some of our rumored moves (e.g. Kerkez at that fee) have been surprising so take this with a grain of salt but I don't think the rumors of us signing a CF are valid. In addition to the fact that there are no proven CF available at a reasonable valuation, adding a CF means there's just not enough starts to go around.
If you assume that your best FWD/MID players forecasted for next season (Mo, Wirtz, Luis, Macca, Ryan & Dom) all start 30 league matches (~80%), that leaves very few remaining starts. My quick back-of-the-envelope sketch w those assumptions showed that Cody would get 26 starts (perfect), Diogo 18 (ideal given his fitness record) & Curtis only 4. Assumptions: CF starts were shared among Luis, Wirtz & Diogo, Luis plays RF when Mo is at AFCON & Dom plays deeper when Ryan or Macca are rested.
This competition for minutes at FWD/MID is why Harvey is rumored to be moving on when we sign Wirtz. It also means Curtis will need to earn his starts by outperforming Dom (appropriate for our ambitions).
I wonder if they all will to some extent. Szoboszlai played (well) in the two at Brighton, so it could be he becomes a regular option there. If Wirtz replaces Elliott but as a player Slot trusts, then it’s five for three spots (albeit the £100m-odd signing will obviously be one of the three far more often than not!).
Josh you’re on another level seriously la I can’t believe you have not been snapped up by Liverpool FC ? What striker do you honestly think we will sign ✍️?
Great post as always. I’m so convinced we’ll see a 442 diamond with Wirtz at a 10 and the usual 3 behind him. I also think that better explains the purchase of Frimpong and Kirkez, given their need to provide width. It’s all very Klopp 1.0. Would allow for a wide front two, Salah + a forward on left. Hence links to Ekitike and Isaac (initially). Forwards, but mobile, and happy to drift left. Alvarez an example too.
Also helps with longevity regarding Salah. Closer to goal, less need to hold width and surrounded by the most energetic players on the pitch, Sboz, Wirtz, Frimpong etc. I’m sure we’ll see this deployed in tougher games and away from home. Just don’t see a world where Slot doesn’t want Sboz in the side most games.
Ps. Ekitike is better than people realise, with seriously high potential. Show me a young player that gets 22 goals and 8 assists and still underperforms his XG by 8 and you’ve got a player who will progress just by a reversion to the mean, let alone coaching and maturity.
Interesting to see a player like Wirtz pick Liverpool over a list of other great teams like Bayern, Man City and Real Madrid.
You would've thought Xabi going to Real would mean him following suit but you also have to consider the wealth of talent Xabi has at his disposal in the attacking dept.
Come down to Bayern and you ask yourself, where would he fit in that Bayern attack? Is he going to play as a winger or is he going to be challenging for that No.10 role with Musiala?
Also, look at Man City, they just signed Marmoush in January, so where else do you want to play a player like Wirtz? As a RW?
I may not be in the Wirtz’s camp but this could be some of the reasons why he opted for a Liverpool move. He looked at his strength and the best team out there aside from Leverkusen that would push that strength to a greater height.
The workings of TRANSFERS could be complex and I hope both parties find a common ground to get this sorted as soon as possible.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the role we pitched to him is compatible with a starting place in the German national team. It has been a headache for Nagelsmann to accommodate Wirtz and Musiala in the starting line up and he or any other coach coming in is tasked to find a system that gets the best out of both of them.
That headache is probably one of the reasons he chose LFC. How do u fit Wirtz, Musiala & Kane into a lineup that doesn't sub-optimize & alienate one of them?
Spot on. Musiala is the key factor, though. He is Bayern’s MVP and Germany’s wonderkid. He is much more established in the national team than Wirtz at this point, also due to him choosing to represent Germany over England. Wirtz will therefore be eager to establish a profile that differentiates him from Musiala.
Additionally, both Germany’s and Bayern’s squads are very unbalanced in terms of age profile and quality. Both suffer from a lack of world class defenders, which makes it unlikely for them to win the big trophies.
Slot winning a title this year gives him so much credibility is selling his vision to prospective players! Think about how Zubimendi turned us down last year, he probably doesn't do that if Klopp is still there, but with a Premier League Title under his belt (two titles in the last three years), Slot now has that ability to sell his vision backed up with proof!
Wirtz and Szobo as duel 10s in big away games would excite me. Like the strikerless 4-2-4 away at City this season. Big 3-0 win at the Emirates incoming...
Brilliant as per ususal Josh, excited about what he can bring to the team. Do you think that Liverpool will sign another forward (as opposed to your definition of a striker)? If so, who would you like?
Great piece Josh. Fully agree on the LW stuff. I’m a little worried about the rumours of Diaz leaving and us being linked with a striker might mean we plan on having him as LW option though. What do you think?
I am EXTREMELY EXCITED for Florian Wirtz! Everything Josh wrote has made me even more excited for him to be a Red! We HAVE to get this one over the line.
Now after that gets there, I am probably in an extremely small minority here, but I would be happy with us moving Darwin on, finishing up moves for Kerkez, Frimpong and maybe bringing in one center back (if we cannot resign Ibou) and the letting Doak, Kelleher, either Robbo or Kostas, and some others move on and be done. We do not need to completely overhaul the roster with additional midfielders and strikers and defenders.
I have coached my daughter's local team for 3 years now (no tryouts, everyone's in, U12 - 9v9), and they have gone from an okay team to world beaters. This weekend we had two girls gone and they were probably our 5ish to 7ish best players and we had two fill-ins that were fine. But with those two out, the chemistry was off. Building a group together and sticking together can pay HUGE dividends as teams get comfortable with each others movements and trust where each other will be and what they can do. Changing just a few pieces can really throw off the synergy.
I think this LFC squad can 100% do with some freshening, but I do not know that I want them to walk out with 5 new starters after winning the league handily this year! Let's tap the breaks on 6 or 7 new signings, get in 4-5 and be happy we signed one of the best players in the world!
Agreed but as Josh said, if any club offers a stupid fee for Diaz we need to capitalise. Which will open another window of opportunity. Same goes for Jota. However, I would not be surprised if we keep our powder dry until another big player becomes available, e.g. Alvarez, Rogers, Camavinga.
I would also seriously consider accepting any bid for Gomes. I get his versatility and perfect age profile, but in the cold light of day he is a squad player. In that role he has to be trusted to be available which he sadly isn’t.
Agreed - Diaz's weird age profile makes it hard to resign him but it needs to be a good amount offered, as I feel he is a bit underrated for all the work he does!
Joe Gomez is such a huge what if, not just on if he had stayed healthy, but also what if he had been an inch taller and just stuck at CB or an inch shorter and just focused on fullback rather than being shuttled between all four of the backline positions. Sometimes versatility is as much a curse as a blessing!
Such an exciting signing for a number of reasons:
- First, the best player available on the market is choosing to play for our club (a sign that outside perception of the "LFC 2.0 Project" is very favorable).
- Next, Wirtz replacing Diogo/Darwin improves the XI immediately, the Champions getting better! (we need to retain Lucho to sustain that improvement but it's a big improvement).
- It also improves the midfield which is very tough to do. As Josh points out, when Macca or Ryan need a rest, Wirtz can play the 10 with Dom at the 8 and Macca or Ryan in the deepest role.
- Lastly, Wirtz also seems to lay the cornerstone of our attack for the post-Mo era (2027-28+). He just turned 22 and, as Josh described, has it all as a central attacker (whether false 9, or AM). It'll be interesting to watch Hughes build the future squad around him.
Your second point is the most important one. It is HARD to get players that make us better. Wirtz is one. We do not just need players, we need great players that make us better!
This excellent piece has reminded me that Mac Allister was highlighted as an excellent Zone 14 player when Liverpool signed him (eg https://x.com/pranav_m28/status/1678090344016105476). He gets the ball into Wirtz, who can pick out any of the forwards or the very advanced full-backs. Sounds good to me.
So if rumours are true that we are looking for a 9, who of Grav, Szobo and Macca do you think will get less minutes next season?
Some of our rumored moves (e.g. Kerkez at that fee) have been surprising so take this with a grain of salt but I don't think the rumors of us signing a CF are valid. In addition to the fact that there are no proven CF available at a reasonable valuation, adding a CF means there's just not enough starts to go around.
If you assume that your best FWD/MID players forecasted for next season (Mo, Wirtz, Luis, Macca, Ryan & Dom) all start 30 league matches (~80%), that leaves very few remaining starts. My quick back-of-the-envelope sketch w those assumptions showed that Cody would get 26 starts (perfect), Diogo 18 (ideal given his fitness record) & Curtis only 4. Assumptions: CF starts were shared among Luis, Wirtz & Diogo, Luis plays RF when Mo is at AFCON & Dom plays deeper when Ryan or Macca are rested.
This competition for minutes at FWD/MID is why Harvey is rumored to be moving on when we sign Wirtz. It also means Curtis will need to earn his starts by outperforming Dom (appropriate for our ambitions).
I wonder if they all will to some extent. Szoboszlai played (well) in the two at Brighton, so it could be he becomes a regular option there. If Wirtz replaces Elliott but as a player Slot trusts, then it’s five for three spots (albeit the £100m-odd signing will obviously be one of the three far more often than not!).
Josh you’re on another level seriously la I can’t believe you have not been snapped up by Liverpool FC ? What striker do you honestly think we will sign ✍️?
The market for strikers is pretty bad this window. Unless Lucho pushes to leave and we can get a huge fee for him, Hughes might not sign a striker.
Great post as always. I’m so convinced we’ll see a 442 diamond with Wirtz at a 10 and the usual 3 behind him. I also think that better explains the purchase of Frimpong and Kirkez, given their need to provide width. It’s all very Klopp 1.0. Would allow for a wide front two, Salah + a forward on left. Hence links to Ekitike and Isaac (initially). Forwards, but mobile, and happy to drift left. Alvarez an example too.
Also helps with longevity regarding Salah. Closer to goal, less need to hold width and surrounded by the most energetic players on the pitch, Sboz, Wirtz, Frimpong etc. I’m sure we’ll see this deployed in tougher games and away from home. Just don’t see a world where Slot doesn’t want Sboz in the side most games.
Ps. Ekitike is better than people realise, with seriously high potential. Show me a young player that gets 22 goals and 8 assists and still underperforms his XG by 8 and you’ve got a player who will progress just by a reversion to the mean, let alone coaching and maturity.
Nice one Josh
Interesting to see a player like Wirtz pick Liverpool over a list of other great teams like Bayern, Man City and Real Madrid.
You would've thought Xabi going to Real would mean him following suit but you also have to consider the wealth of talent Xabi has at his disposal in the attacking dept.
Come down to Bayern and you ask yourself, where would he fit in that Bayern attack? Is he going to play as a winger or is he going to be challenging for that No.10 role with Musiala?
Also, look at Man City, they just signed Marmoush in January, so where else do you want to play a player like Wirtz? As a RW?
I may not be in the Wirtz’s camp but this could be some of the reasons why he opted for a Liverpool move. He looked at his strength and the best team out there aside from Leverkusen that would push that strength to a greater height.
The workings of TRANSFERS could be complex and I hope both parties find a common ground to get this sorted as soon as possible.
Great read again nice one Josh. He reminds me of Peter Beardsley - can jink, link, dink, bang one when needed, all that jazz
I wouldn’t be surprised if the role we pitched to him is compatible with a starting place in the German national team. It has been a headache for Nagelsmann to accommodate Wirtz and Musiala in the starting line up and he or any other coach coming in is tasked to find a system that gets the best out of both of them.
That headache is probably one of the reasons he chose LFC. How do u fit Wirtz, Musiala & Kane into a lineup that doesn't sub-optimize & alienate one of them?
Don’t forget they’ve also got Olise, who was arguably their best player this past season.
Spot on. Musiala is the key factor, though. He is Bayern’s MVP and Germany’s wonderkid. He is much more established in the national team than Wirtz at this point, also due to him choosing to represent Germany over England. Wirtz will therefore be eager to establish a profile that differentiates him from Musiala.
Additionally, both Germany’s and Bayern’s squads are very unbalanced in terms of age profile and quality. Both suffer from a lack of world class defenders, which makes it unlikely for them to win the big trophies.
Slot winning a title this year gives him so much credibility is selling his vision to prospective players! Think about how Zubimendi turned us down last year, he probably doesn't do that if Klopp is still there, but with a Premier League Title under his belt (two titles in the last three years), Slot now has that ability to sell his vision backed up with proof!
Wirtz and Szobo as duel 10s in big away games would excite me. Like the strikerless 4-2-4 away at City this season. Big 3-0 win at the Emirates incoming...
Brilliant as per ususal Josh, excited about what he can bring to the team. Do you think that Liverpool will sign another forward (as opposed to your definition of a striker)? If so, who would you like?
While he sounds like a German sausage he most certainly isn't but he is incredibly tasty !!
Great post Josh as always
Great piece Josh. Fully agree on the LW stuff. I’m a little worried about the rumours of Diaz leaving and us being linked with a striker might mean we plan on having him as LW option though. What do you think?
Imagine Salah and Wirrz linking up. 2 football precogs. (Minority Report was on the other night ;) ).Football intelligence on another level.
I am EXTREMELY EXCITED for Florian Wirtz! Everything Josh wrote has made me even more excited for him to be a Red! We HAVE to get this one over the line.
Now after that gets there, I am probably in an extremely small minority here, but I would be happy with us moving Darwin on, finishing up moves for Kerkez, Frimpong and maybe bringing in one center back (if we cannot resign Ibou) and the letting Doak, Kelleher, either Robbo or Kostas, and some others move on and be done. We do not need to completely overhaul the roster with additional midfielders and strikers and defenders.
I have coached my daughter's local team for 3 years now (no tryouts, everyone's in, U12 - 9v9), and they have gone from an okay team to world beaters. This weekend we had two girls gone and they were probably our 5ish to 7ish best players and we had two fill-ins that were fine. But with those two out, the chemistry was off. Building a group together and sticking together can pay HUGE dividends as teams get comfortable with each others movements and trust where each other will be and what they can do. Changing just a few pieces can really throw off the synergy.
I think this LFC squad can 100% do with some freshening, but I do not know that I want them to walk out with 5 new starters after winning the league handily this year! Let's tap the breaks on 6 or 7 new signings, get in 4-5 and be happy we signed one of the best players in the world!
Agreed but as Josh said, if any club offers a stupid fee for Diaz we need to capitalise. Which will open another window of opportunity. Same goes for Jota. However, I would not be surprised if we keep our powder dry until another big player becomes available, e.g. Alvarez, Rogers, Camavinga.
I would also seriously consider accepting any bid for Gomes. I get his versatility and perfect age profile, but in the cold light of day he is a squad player. In that role he has to be trusted to be available which he sadly isn’t.
Agreed - Diaz's weird age profile makes it hard to resign him but it needs to be a good amount offered, as I feel he is a bit underrated for all the work he does!
Joe Gomez is such a huge what if, not just on if he had stayed healthy, but also what if he had been an inch taller and just stuck at CB or an inch shorter and just focused on fullback rather than being shuttled between all four of the backline positions. Sometimes versatility is as much a curse as a blessing!