Xabi Alonso could sign $76m wonderkid for Liverpool and he already compared him to Lionel Messi
Xabi Alonso has already given a seal of approval to a top young talent who could follow him to Liverpool. He could end up being an ideal Mohamed Salah successor.
Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz is being linked with a move to Liverpool
Jürgen Klopp is leaving Liverpool and a lot could change before the end of the year. This summer will be a big one, with the Reds needing a new sporting director as well.
There could be a few changes in personnel too. As much as Liverpool won’t want to think about losing Mohamed Salah anytime soon, the club does need to be thinking about the future. The Egyptian turns 32 later in 2024 and will be entering the final year of his contract next season as it stands. The interest in his services isn’t going anywhere.
It is no secret that Saudi Arabian clubs are keen on Salah and made a big effort to sign him during the summer. Liverpool resisted the urge, but at some point, a replacement for the irreplaceable will need to be found, even if he pens another new deal.
Losing Salah is not an idea that Jürgen Klopp wants to entertain. Speaking about Salah\\\’s links to Saudi Arabia at the end of last year, Klopp told reporters: “He is really positive. He enjoys the company of the boys and sees there is a lot of potential with the boys and wants to maximize that by getting something out of that. The other stuff I never thought about that, and hope I don’t have to.”
Sooner or later though, there will come a time when Salah will have to be replaced. He has started the season brilliantly, but it’s clear Liverpool 2.0 may not be built on him alone. Naturally, a team that’s built for the future cannot be built around a 31-year-old. Klopp has new stars and new talismen coming through and making their mark.
Inevitably, at some point in time, Liverpool will have to decide to say farewell to Salah as well. There are few players in world football though who would be capable of stepping into his shoes at Anfield right now. But there is one who is currently playing under Xabi Alonso, who is a leading content to replace Klopp, who might just be the right fit. Florian Wirtz has long been regarded as the wonderkid savior of German football.
Despite being only 20 years old, he has already broken plenty of Bundesliga records and has regularly featured for the senior German national team as well. His form has led to links with a transfer away from Leverkusen, with Liverpool previously among those said to be interested (as per the Daily Star).
However, if the Reds want him, it was thought that they might have to wait. Wirtz’s father Hans-Joachim gave an interview to Sky Sports Deutschland in November, suggesting his son will stay put at Leverkusen in 2025. “At the moment everything is geared towards Florian playing in Leverkusen next season,” Wirtz Snr said. What’s more, Florian Plettenberg has suggested Wirtz is keen on a move to Bayern Munich.
This week, though, Fichajes has reported that if Alonso becomes Liverpool’s new manager, he will launch a $76m (£60m/€70m) bid to bring Wirtz with him. If Leverkusen has won the Bundesliga by that point, it might be the right time for the pair to move on. And if the Reds can get him, the timelines of Wirtz’s departure and Salah’s contract expiring could point to the perfect transfer plan.
While he predominantly plays as an attacking midfielder for Leverkusen, operating in central channels, Wirtz is not unfamiliar with playing on the wing. He is more than capable of playing on the left or the right, especially because he is ambidextrous and is equally capable of shooting with his right and left foot.
He is the type of diminutive attacking player who has the one-on-one ability and the goalscoring and goal-creating prowess to be able to replace Salah at Liverpool. His manager has been in awe of him all season, and even compared him to Lionel Messi earlier this year.
“There are good players and there are players who look good on the pitch. The player who looks good does things that are nice, but not necessarily efficient,” Alonso told reporters, as per GOAL.
“Why is Messi so good? Because he knows how and when to play simple passes. Messi says: ‘You’re in a better position? Here, there you have the ball!’ It’s not always about making the most brilliant move, but the best and smartest. Florian can do that. That’s why he’s so good.”
With Alonso’s seal of approval, his recent track record, and the fact that he is only 20 years old, Wirtz definitely seems like the perfect fit for Liverpool. If Alonso takes over as the next manager, the links are only likely to intensify.