By Sam McGuire
When that transfer is finalised, the Reds can have secured two of the most effective Bundesliga gamers from the 2024/25 marketing campaign. Hugo Ekitike ranked fifteenth final time period with a mean FotMob score of seven.47. Florian Wirtz in the meantime, Liverpool’s costliest signing, ranked sixth throughout his closing season with Bayer Leverkusen, racking up a mean FotMob score of seven.69.
The Reds imply enterprise. Richard Hughes is seeking to arm Arne Slot with a squad able to retaining the Premier League title. To go alongside Wirtz and Ekitike, Liverpool have already signed Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez. A centre-back continues to be on the agenda for the Merseysiders, with Marc Guehi effectively appreciated, and one other striker could possibly be heading to Anfield too. Alexander Isak is the dream goal proper now but when Newcastle United aren’t ready to half methods with him simply but, Liverpool have a listing of alternate options.
Each signing thus far is thrilling. Essentially the most intriguing acquisitions, nevertheless, are Ekitike and Wirtz.
All through their historical past, Liverpool have had various prolific partnerships in assault. There was Kevin Keegan and John Toshack, Ian Rush and Kenny Dalglish, Peter Beardsley and John Aldridge, John Barnes and Rush, Robbie Fowler and Stan Collymore, Michael Owen and Emile Heskey, Fowler and Owen, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, and Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suárez.
You might most likely embrace variations of Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah on this too. However the focus right here goes to be on Torres and Gerrard.
The legendary No. 8 was deployed as an attacking midfielder, tasked with offering the No. 9 with the ammo wanted. Throughout three full seasons, Torres scored 56 targets within the Premier League whereas Gerrard struck 36 occasions.
The 2008/09 marketing campaign was, actually, the best marketing campaign of Gerrard’s profession with 16 league targets and 24 throughout all competitions.
For additional context right here, the one time that the previous Liverpool skipper scored 20+ targets in back-to-back campaigns coincided with the signing of Torres from Atlético Madrid. Whereas the one time the Spanish ahead netted 30+ in a single season was throughout his debut yr at Anfield.
It was a partnership that simply labored.
We would see the same partnership between Ekitike and Wirtz.
In accordance with French outlet L’Equipe, Slot is seeking to utilise extra of a 4-2-3-1 form subsequent season with the previous Eintracht Frankfurt man set to steer the road. The report claims: “Arne Slot takes cost. In his video name with the participant, the thought of a 4-2-3-1 was introduced to him. The Dutch coach discusses an evolution within the Reds’ recreation plan, together with possession sequences. On this context, he additionally wants a artistic, cellular No. 9 able to combining, dropping ahead, and in addition taking part in deep. Darwin Núñez will not be certainly one of them.”
In a behind-closed-doors pleasant towards Stoke Metropolis, Wirtz was deployed as an attacking midfielder behind Darwin. To his left was Rio Ngumoha. To his proper was Mohamed Salah. With Luís Diaz wanting more likely to depart, a brand new left-sided attacker is anticipated, with Rodrygo linked. His arrival would put to mattress any ideas that Wirtz is likely to be used on the left for Liverpool.
The German maestro goes to be the person pulling the strings for the Reds in central areas. He’s going to be the one supplying Ekitike. It makes quite a lot of sense.
Final season, Wirtz ranked seventh within the Bundesliga for targets and assists (22). He was second within the German top-flight for Large Probabilities Created (17) and he created a complete of 57 possibilities. His Anticipated Assists complete (9.4) was the third highest within the league, as was his Anticipated Assists per 90 common (0.36). He makes issues occur.
There’s a motive that each Victor Boniface (4.5 photographs per 90) and Patrik Schick (3.7) ranked throughout the high 10 for photographs final season.
Wirtz managed to get the most effective out of the 2 Bayer Leverkusen attackers. Boniface had 22 targets in 42 appearances for B04 whereas Schick discovered his approach again into the beginning XI final time period and completed with 21 league targets.
Now, Boniface, Schick and Ekitike all share some similarities. The trio are all 6ft3 and all are large quantity shooters.
It makes excellent sense for Liverpool to have paired Ekitike with Wirtz. The latter is aware of how one can work with somebody of the previous’s profile.
In his single full season with Eintracht Frankfurt, Ekitike completed fourth within the Bundesliga for Targets and Assists (23). He had the second highest xG haul with 21.7. Solely Serhou Guirassy gathered the next xG complete. Whereas the France under-21 worldwide ranked fifth for photographs per 90 with 4.1.
On paper, it ought to simply work. And if it does work, we’re about to see Wirtz and Ekitike, each of whom had glorious seasons previous to their strikes to Anfield, scale their output to even higher heights. Liverpool is likely to be about to have one more prolific duo spearheading their assault. It’d be one other partnership for the historical past books.
(Cowl picture from IMAGO)
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