Liverpool’s alternative to Florian Wirtz has now matched impressive Eden Hazard feat
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Florian Wirtz arrived for big money in the summer transfer window, but hasn’t hit his best form at Liverpool yet.The German has five goals and four assists in the Premier League so far this season, with most of those goal contributions coming over the winter.However, Wirtz’s form has suffered in recent weeks, while Rayan Cherki has now secured 10 open-play assists in the Premier League for Manchester City. You can only pick ONE player for Liverpool to sign this summer, who is it?
Who should Richard Hughes be targeting above all… Photo Credit: Getty Images/Robin Jones How close did Rayan Cherki come to signing for Liverpool?The Sky Blues were in action against Everton on Monday evening, and Cherki was among the top performers as Pep Guardiola’s side rescued a point late on.Following the game, it has been shared that Cherki is now the first Premier League player to reach 10 open play assists in their debut season in the competition since Eden Hazard, who provided 11 during the 2012/13 campaign when he signed for Chelsea.Cherki now has 10 goals and 14 assists in all competitions for Man City this term, perhaps leaving Liverpool with some transfer regret.Wirtz cost £116m when he arrived from Bayer Leverkusen, making him one of the most expensive additions in Premier League history.But had things done differently, Liverpool could have ended up signing the Frenchman from Lyon instead.Before Wirtz arrived, it was reported in the summer of 2025 that Slot had met with Cherki, cutting his holiday short to discuss a potential move.The report also added that Liverpool were doing their ‘due diligence’ on alternatives, in case a move for the German midfielder did not come off.It did, of course, but Cherki has now vastly outperformed his Liverpool counterpart in 2025/26 to date.Slot thinks Wirtz will keep improving the longer he remains at Anfield, but bearing in mind that Man City were able to get a deal done for an initial fee of £30.45m, it does, for now at least, look like they got the better end of the deal.Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox