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Liverpool boss Arne Slot reacts to Florian Wirtz during the 2025 FA Community Shield match between Crystal Palace and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium on August 10, 2025(Image: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)

Arne Slot says Florian Wirtz is central to the next stage of his Liverpool evolution, believing the Germany international will prove himself as a world-class talent at Anfield, once he adjusts to the rigours of Premier League

Wirtz became the most expensive transfer of all time for the Reds when he completed a move worth up to £116m from Bayer Leverkusen in June, having turned down interest from Manchester City and Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.

Liverpool will pay Leverkusen an initial fee of £100m with a further £16m in success-based add-ons and despite the history-making sum paid to the Bundesliga side, Slot doesn't feel such a transfer is out of sync with what has been done on occasion in more recent history at Anfield.



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The Reds boss, whose side kick off the defence of their Premier League crown at home to Bournemouth on Friday night, likened the deal to the £75m addition of Virgil van Dijk and £65m capture of Alisson Becker, both in 2018.

"I think Liverpool have done this before," Slot said.

"With Alisson Becker we spent so much money, with Virgil we spent so much money, and with inflation I think it is the Liverpool signing.

If we make these signings, we also have to sell players.

"Yes, he is a different profile to what we have.

But he is a different profile to Ryan, Macca, Dom, Curtis.

That is what we wanted - to bring a different profile in rather than adding something that already had.

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"And then it is very positive that we could bring in such a highly regarded player but I think Liverpool has always been able to bring in these kinds of players.

"Can he take us to the next level?

Then you have situations like Caoimhin Kelleher and Jarell Quansah and I probably forget one or two who didn't play that much last season.

"I think it is always really hard for a player to have two or three seasons like this in a row and if a player is not able to do this mentally then it is best to split ways and you have to replace.
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