Florian Wirtz transfer: Three biggest winners as Liverpool begin pre-season
Liverpool’s pre-season preparations began by defeating Preston 3-1 at Deepdale on Sunday.
Florian Wirtz was not in the playing squad due to a fitness management strategy, with the German maestro still waiting to make his Liverpool debut.
Wirtz’s arrival is bad news for certain players like Harvey Elliott, whose prospects of starting regularly have taken a major blow.
Now, Liverpool News have previewed who will be set to benefit the most from the £116million signing landing in L4.
Mohamed Salah’s attacking burden to be eased
Arguably, for the first time since Sadio Mane, Liverpool now possess an attacking player close to the ability of Salah.
The Egyptian had another stellar campaign for the Reds, scoring 29 goals and recording 18 assists as Liverpool won their second Premier League title.
Despite being a consummate professional and remaining in fantastic physical condition, Salah will inevitably begin to slow down.
At 33, it would be a remarkable achievement if the winger could get anywhere near his stats from last season, but with Wirtz’s arrival, he may not need to.
The German has also been used to churning out double digits in both goals and assists in recent seasons, taking some of the attacking burden off of Salah.
A player of Wirtz’s quality will also naturally attract plenty of attention from the opposition, meaning Salah could potentially find more pockets of space off the ball next season.
Arne Slot has landed his statement signing
With Slot achieving what he has done at Anfield so far with a largely inherited squad, it is an exciting prospect to think of how his new additions will propel this Liverpool side to even higher levels.
The Dutchman can deploy Wirtz in multiple positions, with the 22-year-old being able to play on either wing or as a number ten.
Trialling Wirtz in all of these positions to see where he fits best will be critical when he eventually features in pre-season, but the vast amount of options he will provide for Slot already make him a useful commodity in Merseyside before he has even kicked a ball.
With Salah taking part in AFCON midway through the next campaign, Wirtz could be the talisman that the Reds can rely on in the Egyptian King’s absence.
Hugo Ekitike to settle in Merseyside thanks to Wirtz
It is no secret that Liverpool are in the market for a striker.
Despite his goal against Preston, Darwin Nunez has an uncertain future in L4.
Ekitike, 23, is a striker that Liverpool have been linked with, as the French forward has drawn comparisons to Karim Benzema.
| Hugo Ekitike | Bundesliga stats (2024/25 season) |
| Appearences | 33 |
| Goals | 15 |
| Assists | 8 |
Despite Ekitike having a prolific campaign for Frankfurt in the Bundesliga last season, settling at a new club in a new league is always a challenge.
Having a player of Wirtz’s quality in the side will undoubtedly make this adaptation process easier if Ekitike does eventually join the Reds.
With Wirtz providing 44 assists in his last five Bundesliga campaigns, he is a proven playmaker, making him a dream player for any striker to play alongside.
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