Bad news for Wirtz: Liverpool "ready to bid" for £120k-per-week "machine"

Liverpool still have their perfect start to the season thanks to 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha, who saved the day late in the game on Monday night at St James’ Park.

The former Chelsea academy star scored his first top-flight goal to rescue all three points for Arne Slot’s side, who were being held 2-2 by ten-man Newcastle United.

It was another game where one of their new signings, Hugo Ektike, got on the scoresheet. He has now bagged in all three competitive games for the Reds, and has made a flying start. The same cannot be said for Florian Wirtz, however, who has not hit the ground running.

Stats via Sofascore

Liverpool are still active in the transfer market and will surely hope that any more signings can make a better start than Wirtz.

Liverpool’s next summer focus

It is unclear how much money is at Slot’s disposal after spending big on the likes of Wirtz and Ekitike. One man who is continuously linked is Marc Guehi, with the club said to be in talks over a deal to sign the Crystal Palace skipper.

Transfer Focus Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Of course, the overarching saga of the summer transfer window has been to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle. Fabrizio Romano confirmed that the Merseysiders are "ready to bid again" to sign the Sweden international.

Newcastle are standing firm, and whilst the player still dreams of a move from the North East to the North West, it will not come cheap at all.

It has been reported by The Telegraph that Eddie Howe’s side will demand as much as £150m for their centre-forward.

Why signing Isak could be bad news for Wirtz

There is little doubt that bringing Isak to Anfield would be the cherry on top of the cake for Liverpool this summer. Described as a “machine” in front of goal by Romano, he certainly knows where the back of the net is.

In the 2024/25 campaign, Newcastle striker Isak showed why Jamie Carragher said last December he is the “best striker in the Premier League”.

He bagged 23 top-flight goals in just 34 appearances, including this thunderbolt against Liverpool, and the winner against the Reds in the Carabao Cup final.

The stats showcase why Isak, who earns £120k-per-week at St James’ Park, is held in such high regard.

For example, he averaged 0.75 goals and 0.46 goals per shot on target each game last season, which ranked him in the top 3% and 12% of Premier League strikers, respectively.

Isak key stats vs. PL strikers 24/25 Stat (per 90) Number PL rank Goals 0.75 97th Shots on target 1.34 83rd Goals per shot on target 0.46 88th Goal-creating actions 0.46 88th Expected goals 0.66xG 94th Stats from FBref

Well, Isak’s arrival could certainly rock the boat and become bad news for their marquee summer signing, Wirtz.

It has not been the fast start many might have expected for the German, with Alan Shearer claiming the Reds are “finding it difficult to get him into the game” at the moment.

Florian Wirtz in action for Liverpool

This is not to say the former Bayer Leverkusen star is a bad footballer.

After all, he did score and assist 31 goals last season for the German side, and grabbed an assist on his Liverpool debut in the Community Shield against Crystal Palace.

However, with Wirtz struggling, the potential arrival of Isak could prompt a tactical shift from Slot. The Dutchman may drop the German attacker and play both Isak and Ekitike up front together, as a pair.

In fact, this is something Liverpool’s boss mentioned in an interview earlier this month. He explained that he sees Ekitike as someone who can “play together with another No. 9”, hinting to Liverpool fans that the Frenchman could work up front with Isak.

Ekitike excels at being able to drop deep, link up play and create chances. This season, he has already created four in two Premier League games. It is easy to imagine him linking up with a finisher as deadly as Isak.

Whilst signing the Swedish star would be a huge move for the Reds, it may impact Wirtz’s game time, after what has been a disappointing start to his career on Merseyside. For Slot and Liverpool, having such a wealth of attacking options can surely only be a good thing.

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