Florian Wirtz looks set to become the most expensive transfer in Premier League history, so what, exactly, will Liverpool be getting?

The 22-year-old, voted the Bundesliga’s Players’ Player of the Season, played 2,355 minutes in 31 league matches, scoring 10 and assisting 12.

His FotMob average rating of 7.69 is the sixth highest in the division, with only Omar Marmoush, Michael Olise, Harry Kane, Joshua Kimmich and Jamal Musiala rating higher.

He twice scored a 9.3 rating – against Freiburg when he scored one and assisted three in one match, and against Salzburg when he scored two and assisted one in the Champions League league phase.

His highest rating of the season, though, was on international duty for Germany, scoring a 9.4 rating in a 7-0 thrashing of Bosnia and Herzegovina when he scored two and assisted one.

Wirtz’s form remained pretty consistent throughout the season, with no sustained period of poor performance.

Two consecutive 9.2 ratings in September against Feyenoord and Wolfsburg provided a high point.

Wirtz took 78 shots, with 50 percent of them hitting the target and 10 finding the back of the net – which is almost perfectly inline with his expected goals of 9.99.

A player outperforming their xG, as Darwin Nunez was with Benfica, can be a concern as to whether it can be maintained. That’s not an issue with Wirtz.

Thirty of his 78 shots were from outside the box. For way of comparison, Mo Salah registered only 11 shots from outside the box last season.

Wirtz created 57 chances, 17 of them considered as ‘big chances’ (29.8%). Only Salah (89 chances, 27 big chances; 30.3%) from the Liverpool squad registered more.

Quite what Wirtz could produce in a Liverpool team is very exciting.

In terms of passing numbers, Wirtz is absolutely elite.

• Top 100th percentile for successful passes (50.03 per 90)
• 85th percentile for chances created (2.18 per 90)
• 88th percentile for long ball accuracy (70.8%)

A crossing accuracy of just 14 percent perhaps points at a weakness there, or possibly that he attempts the riskier and more difficult to execute final pass.

This is where it gets even more exciting. Wirtz’s successful dribbles per 90 minutes of 3.13 is far higher than any other Liverpool player last season.

The Reds’ highest was Luis Diaz (1.98). The Colombian’s successful dribble rate of 50 percent is almost identical to Wirtz’s (50.9%).

While Wirtz played 40 of his 45 games for Bayer Leverkusen last season as a No. 10, he is still required to play his part off the ball.

As Arne Slot has placed an emphasis on his players winning duels, it is important to note how Wirtz is in the 77th percentile of those in his position when it comes to duels won (6.19 per 90).

Impressively, he is in the 97th percentile for possession won in the final third (1.34 per 90).

The joint-highest in the Liverpool squad are Diaz and Curtis Jones, both on 0.8 per 90, while Dominik Szoboszlai averaged 0.6 per 90 as an attacking midfielder.

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Liverpool advanced in their pursuit of a surprise signing on Friday, while the club confirmed seven players and one high-profile coach will be leaving this summer.

After misguided claims Milos Kerkez had left the Hungary squad to finalise his move to Liverpool on Thursday, it instead transpires that one of his compatriots flew instead.

Friday afternoon brought the news that goalkeeper Armin Pecsi is closing in on a switch to Anfield from Puskas Akademia.

The initial update came via sources in Hungary such as Nemzeti Sport, before Liverpool briefed local journalists on the specifics of the transfer.

Pecsi, a 20-year-old who is No. 1 for his current club and shortlisted for the European Golden Boy award, is set to join in a deal worth up to £1.5 million, reports The Athletic‘s James Pearce.

He is “expected to start next season playing for Liverpool’s U21s” but will also train regularly with the likes of Alisson and Giorgi Mamardashvili.

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Our latest season review comes courtesy of Joe Baker, who looks back on a formative campaign for Ryan Gravenberch:

“Is Slot’s decision to shift Gravenberch further back one of the most impactful tactical moves in recent Premier League history?

“As the season progressed, Gravenberch looked like a player who had spent his whole career picking the ball up deep from defenders, intercepting through balls and putting his foot into tackles.

“It all aligned with the attributes we already knew he possessed in abundance: the ability to keep the ball under pressure, to spot a progressive pass and to carry the ball forward into space.”

• Ange Postecoglou is now widely reported to have been sacked by Tottenham despite winning the Europa League – so much for that third season!

• Meanwhile Man United continue talks over a deal for Bryan Mbeumo and could also target Viktor Gyokeres (Sky Sports)

• Arsenal have enquired over Chelsea‘s world-record goalkeeper signing Kepa – who is now available for just £5m! (Sky Sports)

• Crystal Palace are “exploring an ambitious deal” to sign Sporting CP centre-back Ousmane Diomande – who has also been on Liverpool’s radar (Telegraph)

On this day in 1986, Liverpool agreed a £3.2 million deal with Juventus that would see Ian Rush make a move to Turin the following summer.

Rush would play only one season in Italy, scoring 13 goals in 40 games for Juventus, before rejoining Liverpool for £2.7 million in 1988.

Paul Gascoigne once claimed that the deal that would bring Rush back to Anfield blocked his proposed move to join Kenny Dalglish‘s side.

Not that Liverpool were complaining: Rush remains the club’s all-time leading goalscorer with a surely unbeatable 346 in 660 appearances.

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Liverpool are set for an overhaul of their academy staff, with U21s coach Barry Lewtas announced to have left along with U18s coach Marc Bridge-Wilkinson.

Lewtas’ exit was announced by the club on Friday, following the decision for Bridge-Wilkinson and Liverpool to part ways back in April.

It comes after a 12-year association with Liverpool, with Lewtas beginning his time on Merseyside as U12s coach, progressing through the ranks to become U18s coach and then taking over the U21s in 2020.

“Sometimes you just know the time is right for a new adventure and I really feel the perfect time for me is now,” Lewtas told the club’s official website.

“Of course, I’m sad to be moving on but I also have 12 wonderful years to look back on, including the last five with the U21s.

“Seeing young players make that next step to the LFC first team or moving on to success elsewhere is hugely satisfying.”

Liverpool will now appoint new lead coaches for both the U21s and U18s groups, after a disappointing campaign which saw them finish 16th and 11th in their respective leagues.

While the U21s progressed to the playoff round of Premier League 2 they suffered a 2-1 defeat to table-toppers and eventual champions Man City.

There is no indication at this stage whether the club will look to promote from within – as they did with both Lewtas and Bridge-Wilkinson after Neil Critchley left five years ago – or seek outside appointments.

However there is a sense that fresh blood could benefit Liverpool’s academy, particularly after the success of Arne Slot in taking over from Jurgen Klopp.

Klopp’s resignation prompted a high turnover of staff as many took the opportunity to follow the legendary manager out, and the influx of new ideas and disciplines helped lead the Reds to the Premier League title again.

Lewtas led Liverpool to triumph in the FA Youth Cup while U18s coach in 2019, with Neco Williams, Vitezslav Jaros, Rhys Williams and Leighton Clarkson among those to graduate from that side.

Also on Friday, the club announced that seven academy players had been released on the expiry of their contracts, including Lewtas’ former U21s captain Dominic Corness.

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