Maybe Virgil van Dijk He knew all along that by sticking around this summer, he would witness first-hand the birth of FSG’s Liverpool 2.0.
After all, there aren’t many players left from the squad he joined seven and a half years ago. The summer departures of Caoimhin Kelleher and Trent Alexander-Arnold have reduced that number even further.
Twelve months ago, as Van Dijk entered the final year of his contract, Liverpool ended another season lagging behind Manchester City , and the uncertainty caused by Jürgen Klopp If the exit hung over the club, the Liverpool captain might have been forgiven for wondering what the future held.
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But by mid-April, he was promising a "big summer" for the would-be champions with his future and Mohamed Salah It's now tied down. Only the most optimistic supporters could have believed what that would entail.
Jeremie Frimpong’s signing was expected, as is Milos Kerkez’s, who has been linked with an Anfield switch for several months. Yet it’s Florian Wirtz Liverpool's signature that has got chins wagging around Anfield. No-one saw this coming a few months ago.
And for good reason. Viewed as one of the world’s most talented youngsters, Bayer Leverkusen 'Star Man' is a seminal signing in more ways than one.
Firstly, a £100+ million transfer fee is an eye-popping figure for any side, let alone one which has struggled to match the game’s major financial superpowers over the last decade. But Bayern Munich director of sport Max Eberl The German champions couldn't afford such an exorbitant transfer fee; City also backed away from the astronomical price, while even Real Madrid couldn’t sway Wirtz to join Alexander-Arnold as a Galactico.
Former Liverpool and Germany striker Karl-Heinz Riedle has claimed that Wirtz, who was voted Bundesliga Player of the Season in each of the last two years, is a "once-in-a-century talent." He was compared to Lionel Messi by Xabi Alonso , while Hansi Flick described Liverpool’s new arrival as an "outstanding technician".
That's why Liverpool believes he is worth spending up to £116 million ($157 million) on.
There have already been suggestions that Wirtz will be Salah’s long-term heir. But in the short term, his brief will be to provide the creativity that Alexander-Arnold routinely delivered over recent years.
In many ways, it's the first time since Philippe Coutinho left in 2018 that Liverpool’s main source of innovation and flair will be provided from a central position.
If the transfer fee alone wasn’t enough, it also comes with additional pressure. Wirtz is expected to spearhead this new, shiny, cutting-edge Liverpool that looks equipped to challenge at Europe’s elite table for years to come. That narrative attracted him to Anfield, after all.
He will be Liverpool's new poster boy, the name every child will want on their shirt. After all, of the previous four £100m+ deals in the Premier League , only one was an attack-minded player. This is the sexiest signing the English top flight has seen in years.
It also marks a significant juncture between the Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot eras. The latter is adding a layer of style and substance to the squad he inherited last year, while pivoting further from the high-energy, cohesive style of his predecessor, to a more controlled, flair-based model.
It also indicates broader parameters regarding Liverpool’s financial situation and global appeal, suggesting that the club can attract such a high-profile signing.
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Wirtz could prove to be the most important signing since the arrivals of Van Dijk and Allison in 2018, two transfers that ushered in a new era of success at Anfield.
Like Wirtz’s arrival, Van Dijk’s record-breaking fee was a statement of intent. From the beginning, he was comfortable with the spotlight.
"It's a big compliment to myself for the hard work I've put in so far, that Liverpool are willing to pay that much money. I can't change anything about that," the Dutchman told Sky, weeks after becoming the world’s most expensive defender.
In contrast, Darwin Núñez has never seemed at ease with his label as Liverpool’s record signing. He arrived three years ago in a deal worth up to £85M ($115M), though only £64 million ($87M) was paid upfront.
While there was a definite sense of anticipation when Nunez embarked on his Anfield journey, few felt Liverpool’s immediate success would hinge on his ability to master the expectation and hype, as was the case with Van Dijk, and now once again with Wirtz.
FSG will hope this gamble pays off. Few anticipate it won’t, although more experienced players than Germany’s 22-year-old international have moved from overseas and failed to get a handle on the Premier League.
Admittedly, the Reds can fall back on Dominik Szobozlai, Diogo Jota and perhaps a new no.9 in the short term, if Wirtz doesn’t immediately hit the ground running. But he’ll be afforded little time to adjust.
Maybe after all that, actually, Van Dijk wasn’t right. A “big” summer doesn’t quite do justice to the enormity of Liverpool’s transfer maneuvers.
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