The excitement at Liverpool is understandable as they are about to own one of the most outstanding and sought-after young players in the world. Wirtz will play a key role in the development of The Kop, with a diverse skill set that allows Slot to use him in many different positions.
Fenway Sports Group's football operations director, Michael Edwards, first attempted a contract with Wirtz in 2020, when he was still in the FC Koln youth team, and has been in contact with the player since then.
The 22-year-old has been highly sought after this summer, as Liverpool beat Bayern Munich and Manchester City to sign him. In theory, the German international is a perfect attacking player.
Wirtz not only provided excellent assists but also had very impressive goals. In fact, he has contributed to 44 goals in the last 2 Bundesliga campaigns, including 21 goals and 23 assists. That is the second highest achievement of any under-23 player in Europe's top five leagues in the same period, behind Chelsea's Cole Palmer.
Last season, for the second consecutive year, Wirtz was one of six players to reach double-digit goals and assists in the five biggest tournaments on the continent.
"Wirtz is a talented player, passing the ball accurately and rhythmically. He helped his teammates play better but also scored himself.
He can decide the game himself and that is the quality that will help Liverpool go further. They are great but Wirtz will bring them a new quality" - Sky Germany reporter Felix Fischer said.
Wirtz has a right foot but is also very good at using his left foot. Therefore, the 22-year-old player can easily get past the opposing defender to move into dangerous areas on the pitch.
The midfielder has made 313 dribbles, the most in the Bundesliga, while only Barcelona's Lamine Yamal (231), West Ham's Mohammed Kudus (216) and Manchester City's Jeremy Doku (203) have completed more than 161 dribbles in their last two European top five competitions.
As a result, Wirtz created 124 chances from open play during that time, behind only Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (150), Arsenal's Martin Odegaard (139), Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes (137) and Palmer (134).
Adding to the eye-catching solos were Wirtz's accurate passes. The attacking midfielder always seeks decisive passes to break the opponent's tight defense - something Liverpool often have to deal with.
Illustrating this point of view, the German player with long legs ranked first in the Bundesliga for cross-line passes (49) and accurate long passes (123) last season.
Unlike a player who mainly plays in the holding midfield position, Wirtz also knows how to put pressure. He regained possession 71 times in the final third of last season, including 39 stolen balls - both of which were Bundesliga records.
Despite being just 22, Wirtz has already been a prestigious player with nearly 200 Bundesliga appearances. He won the German Player of the Year award in 2023 and 2024. Wirtz is often depicted as having a bulging head on his youthful shoulders.
Thanks to his comprehensiveness, Wirtz can be deployed in many different positions in the coming season. His positioning flexibility will help Liverpool develop their playing style in the future and make them more unpredictable.
