When you spend £116.5m on a player – as Liverpool are seemingly about to do with Florian Wirtz – you can feel quite confident that you’re getting an exceptionally good footballer.
The Reds have agreed a deal for the aforementioned amount to sign the Bayer Leverkusen star, as reported by Sky Sports News on Friday, and a fellow German who spent several years at Anfield is convinced that it isn’t just the 22-year-old’s technical ability which’ll shine through on Merseyside.
Didi Hamann became well versed to the physicality of the Premier League from his time in English football, and he’s quite confident that the 5 foot 9 playmaker won’t have any issues in adjusting to that element of England’s top flight.
Hamann backs Wirtz to adjust to demands of Premier League football
Speaking about Wirtz on the Aldo Meets Podcast, the ex-Liverpool midfielder said: “If he comes to a team, which is even better than Leverkusen, I think it could be a perfect match. I don’t think it will take too long – if he does come here, which I think he will – before the punters love him here.
“The thing, why I think he will be a success, is that he can look after himself. He’s like a street kid, so he won’t shirk a challenge.
“He will be looked after by his teammates, I’m pretty sure, because he will be one of the main players next season, but if he needs to, he can look after himself. He won’t be worried; he won’t be afraid of any physical presence shown against him.”
Can Wirtz adjust to the physicality of the Premier League?
We’ve often seen footballers who excel in mainland European league struggle with the physicality of the Premier League, but Hamann – who knows what it’s like to play at the top level in both England and Germany – seems convinced that it won’t be a problem for Wirtz.
His qualities as a technician in the number 10 role have been evident throughout his time with Leverkusen, and his record of 57 goals and 65 assists in 197 games for the club speaks volumes, but what of the 22-year-old’s attributes out of possession?
Statistically he doesn’t appear to be the strongest player around – as per FBref, he ranks among the bottom 35% for tackle and aerial duel success compared to positional peers in Europe’s five main leagues over the past year.
He came out on top in just 20% of his aerial battles in the Bundesliga last season, although he did win 20 tackles out of the 32 that he attempted.
Those figures mightn’t seem particularly brilliant, but there’s no way he’d have racked up almost 230 senior appearances at club and international level by the age of 22 if he weren’t able to hold his own, especially when playing near the top of European football’s food chain.
If Wirtz can prove Hamann right about his physical qualities while also demonstrating his phenomenal technical ability for Liverpool, it won’t be long before he wins the adoration of the Kop!
