And that was all she wrote. Another transfer window done and dusted, and despite some late-stage drama, Liverpool must be rather pleased with their market activity over the past couple of months.
With the clock winding down on deadline day, Liverpool felt they were honing in on a statement signing for Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi, but Oliver Glasner had other ideas, refusing to subscribe to the sale of his star defender without an adequate replacement welcomed to Selhurst Park.
Guehi, 25, had completed his medical in FSG’s London complex, and the submission of a dealsheet was all that stood in the way of his move to Merseyside.
It’s a blow, for Guehi is one of the finest centre-halves in the Premier League, but Arne Slot still has top-class options in the position, with sporting director Richard Hughes having warded off interest in Joe Gomez and signed Giovanni Leoni, 18, from Parma for £30m.
And though Liverpool missed out with that one, their lob certainly didn’t fall wide of the mark in regard to Alexander Isak, who is very much a member of the Premier League pace-setters.
Why Liverpool signed Alexander Isak
Liverpool did it. After receiving the fondest of farewells at St. James’ Park, Liverpool welcomed Isak from Newcastle United for a British record £125m fee.
It’s certainly been one of the most unsavoury transfer sagas in recent memory, but Liverpool and FSG and the supporters won’t care a jot, not now that they have welcomed a player who pundit Jamie Carragher hailed as “the best striker in the Premier League” last season.
The 25-year-old scored 27 goals across all competitions and landed the winning strike as Newcastle beat Liverpool to lift the Carabao Cup in March, instrumental in guiding Eddie Howe’s side back into the Champions League.
Liverpool might have already signed Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt in a £79m deal this summer, but Isak gives Slot the complete set in the final third, a clinical striker and skilled in linking up with his teammates.
Exciting times ahead for the Anfield side, not least because Isak will find an almighty bunch of players to combine with, the likes of Mohamed Salah and co.
And, of course, German playmaker Florian Wirtz, whose record-breaking £116m transfer fee lasted all of two months.
Liverpool have hit the jackpot on Florian Wirtz
In May, transfer rumours concerning Wirtz began to intensify. Manchester City and Bayern Munich joined Liverpool in a race for the 22-year-old, and it was Slot’s side who secured the prized signature, underscoring a shift in the European power rankings.
Wirtz hasn’t had the most electrifying start to life in England, playing a neat assist for Ekitike in the Community Shield but yet to register a goal contribution across three Premier League fixtures. Still, his world-class potential is undeniable, hailed by sports media professional Cristian Nyari as a “truly generational talent”.
Former Leverkusen striker Patrick Helmes has even called him “the best midfielder in the world” for his efforts in his homeland, winning the 2023/24 Bundesliga Player of the Season after playing a talismanic part in winning the top flight undefeated in Xabi Alonso’s system.
24/25
45
16 (15)
23/24
49
18 (20)
22/23
25
4 (8)
21/22
31
10 (14)
20/21
38
8 (8)
19/20
9
1 (0)
Wirtz has much still to give, but there’s little question that he has what it takes to become the defining player of the era ahead at Liverpool, perhaps even more so than a superstar striker such as Isak.
FBref’s data delineates Wirtz’s wide range of quality, as he ranks among the top 9% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists and progressive passes, the top 4% for through ball and successful take-ons, and the top 11% for assists per 90.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.
Slot has proven himself over the past 12 months at Liverpool to be one of the most tactically astute coaches in the business, and there’s every faith that he will fashion Wirtz into one of the biggest hitters the Reds have seen.
His market value certainly attests to that.
Wirtz was Liverpool’s record signing until Isak came along, but CIES Football Observatory values actually demonstrate that the German is regarded as having a higher ceiling, boasting a market figure of as high as £152m.
Isak, while still regarded as one of the most lucrative players in the game, amid his £125m move, comes in at a peak value of £100m. Given that the Sweden forward has already enjoyed three years on Premier League pitches, scoring at a clinical rate throughout, it wouldn’t be unfair to suggest that Wirtz might prove to be the cream of the crop after settling into life in a new sphere.
Even without lighting up the Premier League over these first few weeks, Wirtz has showcased an underlying tenacity and robustness, with Sofascore recording that he has won 55% of his ground duels and averaged 1.7 tackles per game.
The goals will come, and the assists too. Of course, when working behind a focal outlet such as Isak, there’s sure to be plenty of optimism around Wirtz’s capacity to dazzle, his creative skill feeding through to the world-class goalscorer.
Market Movers
In any case, what really matters is Liverpool have landed two of the finest footballers in the game, and Slot now has all that he needs to make it a season for the ages on Merseyside.