What will Florian Wirtz bring to Liverpool? Statistics, play style and achievements

Liverpool's summer recruitment drive has taken them down the ambitious path of attempting to acquire Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen.

Sprinkling his delightful ingenuity on Germany's top -flight, Wirtz has consolidated his status as one of the world's brightest talents with another exceptional season for Leverkusen.

There were concerns as to whether Wirtz would ever be able to fulfil his potential after he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in March 2022.

Out of action for nine months at a crucial stage in his development, the 22-year-old made a seamless return, showcasing his old playmaking traits and honing his creative powers under Xabi Alonso's stewardship.

The beating heart of Bayer’s free-flowing attack, Wirtz weighed in with goals and assists as Leverkusen defied the odds to complete an unprecedented undefeated Bundesliga campaign.

With Liverpool reportedly closing in on a deal for Wirtz, we assess the wunderkind’s development and how he will factor into Arne Slot's plans.

Florian Wirtz early years and development

Hailing from the Cologne suburb of Pulheim, Wirtz was scouted by his hometown club at the age of seven, where he spent a decade progressing through their ranks.

At the age of 16, Wirtz departed 1. FC Köln. The likes of Bayern Munich, Juventus and Barcelona attempted to court the teenager but his parents were keen for their son to conclude his studies a little closer to home.

So when Leverkusen came knocking, it ticked all of Wirtz’s boxes.

It certainly didn’t tick Cologne’s box.

There are three big clubs in the Rhineland; Cologne, Leverkusen and Borussia Monchengladbach. For 19 years, the trio of rivals honoured a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ where, for the prosperity of talent in the region, they would not target each other’s academy products.

Cologne were outraged by Leverkusen’s approach. Not only did they feel the act was dishonourable, but they were aggrieved at the prospect of losing one of their most coveted youth stars.

Die Werkself, on the other hand, felt that the agreement was irrelevant in this instance; they were signing a player with the intention of integrating him straight into their first team.

Wirtz may have burnt his bridges at the RheinEnergieSTADION, but his decision to make the switch to Leverkusen has since been fully justified.

Setting records

Wirtz was thrust almost immediately into the first-team setup under Peter Bosz and made his professional debut during the resumption of the 2019/20 season, making him the youngest player to appear for Leverkusen in the league at 17 years and 15 days, eclipsing the record of Kai Havertz.

Fanfare for the youngster soared three weeks later when he became the Bundesliga’s youngest goalscorer (a record since broken by Youssoufa Mokouko), curling a sumptuous effort into the far corner beyond Manuel Neuer. 

Welcome to the Bundesliga, Mr Wirtz.

A beneficiary of Leverkusen’s faith in youth development, records continued to tumble. Wirtz was an established first-team member when he netted his 10th career Bundesliga goal, the first player in league history to reach this milestone before the age of 19 since Lukas Podolski in 2004.

Even when Bosz was sacked, Wirtz continued to shine during a period of managerial instability and it was under Gerardo Seoane that the talented playmaker came to the fore.

An abductor injury looked set to inhibit Wirtz’s influence at the start of the 2021/22 season, but after missing the opening contest against Union Berlin, he returned in marvellous fashion.

Chalking up four goals and six assists in his first seven appearances, he would add a further seven goal contributions, spurring Leverkusen’s push for UEFA Champions League football.

Then tragedy struck.

Of all the venues for Wirtz to suffer an anterior cruciate ligament injury, it was at his old stomping ground in Cologne. Stretchered off 28 minutes into the Rhine Derby, Wirtz’s season was over and hopes of a spot in Hansi Flick’s World Cup squad were jeopardised.

Bouncing back

We've witnessed severe injuries cruelly derail the careers of many young professionals. It requires great mental resilience for a player to return from a significant lay-off and rediscover their sparkle.

Medical experts typically predict a player to recapture their pre-injury performance levels in the second season of their return. That’s the norm, but Wirtz is a freak of nature.

Leverkusen had suffered significantly in Wirtz’s absence. Falling to eight defeats from their opening 12 matches of the 2022/23 campaign, the deterioration in results cost Seoane his job.

Die Werkself delved into the unknown with their appointment of Alonso as Seaone’s successor but it’s since proven to be a shrewd decision. The former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder, lauded for his innovative methods and dynamic tactics, immediately set about remoulding Leverkusen into a more cohesive unit but the return of his generational talent couldn’t have come any sooner.

The league’s resumption after the winter break saw Wirtz come back into the team and having dust off the cobwebs in his first outing against Monchengladbach, he started the next encounter. Rousing his teammates in a 2-0 triumph, Bochum were left to marvel at his genius.

He would end the campaign with the best assists per 90 record in the Bundesliga and delivered five goal contributions in Leverkusen’s run to the Europa League semi-finals, earning him the competition’s Young Player of the Season award.

It was a period that marked the beginning of his trajectory from promising Bundesliga prodigy to one of Europe's hottest creative talents.

Florian Wirtz style of play

As though the ball is attached to his feet with a piece of string, Wirtz has been dancing through Bundesliga defences with poise and finesse to help Leverkusen scale unprecedented heights.

Untouchable with his balletic feet and agile movement, Leverkusen’s lead protagonist has weighed in with a variety of sumptuous goals and inventive assists as Bayer romped to their maiden Bundesliga title and challenged again for top honours this campaign.

Possessing the ability to change direction instantaneously with speed and precision, Wirtz is like a shapeshifter who breaches spaces that appear impenetrable and possesses the technique and composure to finish his chances in style.

You can't defend against Florian Wirtz.

Christian Streich, former SC Freiburg manager

A tally of 69 goal contributions across all competitions just scrape the surface of Wirtz’s standing in Leverkusen’s ranks.

Blossoming with the responsibility of being Alonso’s chief orchestrator, the 22-year-old has benefited from the array of talent that accompanies him, forging prosperous partnerships with the prolific Victor Boniface, the experienced Granit Xhaka and the enterprising Jeremy Frimpong.

Predominantly deployed as the No.10 behind the forward, Wirtz has demonstrated he can dictate matches from a variety of roles. There was a fluidity to Alonso's system but whether he's utilised as an inverted winger or deep-lying playmaker, Leverkusen's talisman kept the team ticking wherever he was asked to operate.

No player has completed more successful through balls in the Bundesliga and he ranks top of the pile for goal-creating actions, evidence of his productivity in the opposition third.

A multi-faceted threat, Wirtz's terrifying unpredictability makes him a nuisance for defenders. Able to find space in congested areas, he has the technique and confidence to take on defenders at will. Should the opportunity present itself, he boasts the vision and accuracy to unlock opponents with an ambitious pass.

Purposeful in his defensive duties, Wirtz bought into Alonso’s strategy of defending from the front, averaging 6.7 ball recoveries per match in the Bundesliga this term.

It could be easy for a player of Wirtz’s immense talent to to shirk tackles, especially in the aftermath of an ACL injury, and yet he ranks second in Germany's top-flight for duels won. Once Wirtz found his rhythm, he unearthed an aggressiveness to his defensive play, exemplifying his self-assurance and industrious nature.

Like a predator waiting for the perfect time to catch his prey, he sets his traps and acts instinctively.

Only the enterprising Frimpong clocked up more sprints in the Leverkusen team, which is indicative of his defensive work and the ability to get Leverkusen motoring on transition.

Wirtz was equally irrepressible in Europe, as well.

The midfield sensation made easy work of the league stage with seven goal contributions, including two braces against Feyenoord and RB Salzburg.

Florian Wirtz 2024/25 statistics

	Total	Rank
Assists	12	2nd
Expected assists (xA)	9.3	3rd
Big chances created	17	2nd=
Goal-creating actions	26	1st
Through balls	26	1st
Passes into penalty area	65	3rd
Key passes	57	10th=
Progressive carries	131	1st
Successful take-ons	82	1st
Duels won	383	2nd

*Bundesliga statistics sourced via FBref.com and Opta

How will Florian Wirtz fit into Arne Slot's system?

Wirtz's versatility is what makes him an extremely attractive proposition to Slot and his coaching staff and there are multiple roles that the Germany international will be able to fulfil.

His preference would be to operate as the ten behind a striker, which would provide him the keys to pick off opponents and loiter dangerously in the half-spaces, while ensuring both Mohamed Salah on the right and Cody Gakpo on the left can retain Liverpool's width.

Alternatively, amidst growing speculation concerning the futures of several Reds forwards including Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez, Wirtz could complete the false nine role and alleviate Liverpool's need to sign a top centre forward.

Slot experimented with a 4-2-4 attacking shape at stages of the season and Wirtz's ball-carrying abilities would accommodate the power and energy of Dominik Szoboszlai in the central areas of the pitch.

Finally, Wirtz is capable of operating on the left flank and has been utilised in that position by Germany's national team head coach Julian Nagelsmann, with his ability to drift inside an ideal fit for Slot's attacking blueprint.