We might have a €100m+ bidding war for Florian Wirtz

If you are a subscriber to this newsletter, you’re the kind of person who is already aware of Florian Wirtz and how good he is. We’ve mentioned his name here plenty, but it’s been a long time since we’ve given his numbers a serious look. And with the bidding war that seems to be kicking off, you’ll be unsurprised to learn that they’re very good.

David Ornstein at The Athletic is reporting that Liverpool has registered their interest, following Bayern Munich and Manchester City doing the same. Real Madrid has previously been linked, but would probably need to sort out the sale of Rodrygo before they could enter this race.

We’ve speculated that some uncertainty around future media rights deals and the global economy in general might slow down transfer spending a bit this summer, but Wirtz appears likely to be an exception. The Bayer Leverkusen attacker is a playmaking machine, and he’d likely make any team in the world better in an instant.

Wirtz is an elite dribbler, and also a plus passer, shooter, and defender. He’s equally adept at playing as a left winger or central attacking midfielder, and provides the same output regardless of positioning. The rich clubs vying for his services will love how consistent he is across competitions, with his numbers not dropping off at all between Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League play.

Wirtz is second in the Bundesliga with 12 assists. That’s just behind Michael Olise, who has the benefit of taking more set pieces than Wirtz, anad passing the ball to Harry Kane. Teams will love both Wirtz’s key pass locations and the variety of assists. He’s playing through balls, finding his teammates’ feet, and hitting diagonals for headers. And he’s doing it from everywhere: left, right, and center.

Even though Wirtz’s primary value is as a playmaker for his teammates, he’s an above-average shooter for a playmaker as well. His shot locations aren’t outstanding, but they’re not bad either. This is also while being the focus of opposition gameplans; it’s easy to envision him getting more space for good shots on Liverpool or Bayern Munich.

The big clubs that want Wirtz might end up in a bidding war for him, and as a result, the winner might end up paying in excess of €100m. It seems like a crazy price for any footballer, but I don’t think that club is going to end up feeling any buyer’s remorse. He’s the best young attacker whose current club is willing to entertain a sale, and he’ll elevate his next club’s attack significantly.

More transfer rumours

• Fab says Dean Huijsen is in negotiations with Real Madrid and close to agreeing a move there instead of any potential English suitor. Sorry if you were dreaming on him fixing your club’s back line.

• Quite a few different outlets are reporting that Liverpool are close to finalizing a deal to sign Jeremie Frimpong from Leverkusen. On the podcast, Ted and Hayden talked about how this suggested a potential tactical shift for Liverpool, since he’s so far from a normal right back or like-for-like Trent replacement.

• Antony’s successful loan spell at Betis apparently has Atlético Madrid and Juventus interested, or at least United are really hoping they are. His asking price is €40m, which coincidentally, is the number they need to show break even on the books for PSR. I wouldn’t pay that much, and I think a loan with an obligation to buy in a year for €20-25m is much more likely.

• One of the players that produces the biggest difference in opinion between Advanced Stats Nerds and That Boy Nice Watchers is Tijjani Reinders, a midfielder who gets lots of goals and assists but does not do a lot of midfield stuff. His passing value is meh and he does less than zero out of possession work. The Telegraph says Man City is targeting him, but I’m skeptical it would be a good move.

• We mentioned Rodrygo above, and apparently that’s definitely going to be a thing all summer. He’s reportedly told Real Madrid he wants to leave, and it seems increasingly likely he’ll land in England.

• Sky Sports Understands that Liam Delap is Man United’s most likely move, while Italian media is linking Joshua Zirkzee to an Inter Milan move. A good start to United’s summer if both are true.

—KM

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