Liverpool chasing “the best midfielder in the world”

Liverpool may well be preparing for life without Trent Alexander-Arnold. Though nothing’s set in stone, the saga carries the bitter undertow of resignation that Anfield’s vice-captain is off to Real Madrid.

The 26-year-old has formed one prong of a three-pointed contractual problem that threatened the stability and success of Arne Slot’s maiden campaign, after he took over from Jurgen Klopp last summer.

But Virgil van Dijk, the skipper, and Mohamed Salah, the talisman, have both extended their deals on Merseyside, devoting the remainder of their prime years to Slot’s cause.

Alexander-Arnold, 26, still has his best years ahead of him, and there’s no question it will sting if the Liverpool-born talent, ‘the Scouser in our team’, leaves for nothing and joins his boyhood club’s continental nemesis.

Away from the emotional side of things, Trent’s a rather good playmaker. Pundit Jamie Carragher remarked last season that “it’s like having Kevin De Bruyne playing at right-back.”

Trent’s inventiveness is so unique, he’s Liverpool’s chief creative source. Should he leave, Liverpool will need more from the middle of the park. But, is Dominik Szoboszlai up to the task?

Dominik Szoboszlai’s output

Szoboszlai is Liverpool’s recognised attacking midfielder, signed as part of Klopp’s midfield rebuild in 2023, joining from RB Leipzig for a £60m figure.

However, for all his physicality and intensity, the Hungary captain is not quite ravenous enough for goals and assists, with just 25 goal involvements notched across 89 matches for the Reds.

Looking at Szoboszlai’s two Premier League campaigns in red, it’s clear that he’s not producing the potent numbers that his lofty price tag demands. Indeed, with Alexander-Arnold expected to move to Spain, taking his creative flair with him, the attacking midfielder will surely need to up his game.

Though irrefutably, Szoboszlai has made gains this term, it’s still not enough to suggest he can fuel Liverpool’s offensive play.

Of course, Slot may not want to take such a risk ahead of a Premier League title defence, with plans being drawn out for a new addition who might even prove an upgrade on Szoboszlai.

FSG eyeing marquee Liverpool signing

As per Caught Offside, Liverpool are chasing a deal for Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz, who is one of the most valuable players in the world and is being chased by some of Europe’s most prestigious outfits.

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Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are thought to be leading the race at this early stage, but the Premier League’s finest are gearing up for summer bids, with Liverpool now joining Arsenal and Manchester City in pursuit of the German.

Leverkusen won’t let him go on the cheap; however, demands have already been made public that he will cost suitors around €130m (equating to £111m).

This is an extraordinary amount of money, but remember, two years ago Liverpool attempted to hijack Chelsea’s bid for Moises Caicedo, offering Brighton & Hove Albion a £111m figure, which was accepted.

Why Liverpool should sign Florian Wirtz

It looks like Bayer Leverkusen are going to go trophyless this season, having defied all expectations to win an invincible domestic double under Xabi Alonso’s wing last year, toppling over a decade of Bayern Munich dominance in the Bundesliga.

Wirtz, who is still only 21, scored 18 goals and supplied 20 assists across all competitions, instrumental throughout a campaign that will live long in the record books as one of the continent’s greatest.

Looking at his metrics compared to Szoboszlai’s in the Premier League (refer to the table above), Wirtz has created 16 big chances in the Bundesliga this season, scoring nine goals and providing ten assists across 27 matches. He’s also more combative, more active, averaging 5.4 duels and 2.7 dribbles per game.

This emphasises his desire to get stuck in, for one, and progress the ball into the danger area. Crucially, he puts paid to his opponents when presented with promising chances.

How he dances across the pitch, skipping with an almost mechanical gait that highlights his technical skill. It’s his economy of movement, though, that differentiates him from positional rivals, tigerish in his ability to pounce and make things happen, not wasting so much as a muscular twitch.

Wirtz actually ranks among the top 8% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goal involvements, the top 7% for shot-creating actions, the top 5% for progressive passes and the top 6% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref, illustrating a potency that Szoboszlai simply doesn’t boast.

Simplifying that clutter of data: he’s rather good at football, which is probably all you need to know.

Should it come as any surprise that former Leverkusen striker Patrick Helmes has described him as “the best midfielder in the world,” such is his level at this early career stage?

This would be quite the ambitious lunge, but a signing which could consolidate Liverpool’s position as one of Europe’s meanest outfits for many years to come.

With Trent set to leave for Real Madrid, Wirtz’s elite-level playmaking is exactly what is needed for Slot to reshape the creative flow of this exciting Liverpool team.

Szoboszlai’s great, but he hasn’t proved that he can step up to the plate in that regard.

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