Owen Hargreaves has named one player for Xabi Alonso to try and bring to Liverpool if he’s named as Jurgen Klopp’s successor at Anfield.
The Bayer Leverkusen boss is believed to be among the frontrunners to take over from the 56-year-old at the end of this season (The Athletic), and he’s already had one potential signing recommended to him.
Speaking on Premier League Productions, the former England midfielder pinpointed one player from Alonso’s current side who could help the Reds to keep competing for major trophies.
TNT Sports pundit Hargreaves said: “I think the midfield balance is getting better. They will probably get a world-class defensive midfield player. All it needs is someone to come in.
“If Xabi comes in with Florian Wirtz, who is a brilliant young German player at Leverkusen, and they had a defensive midfield player, I think this Liverpool team could compete.”
Wirtz is a player who’s been linked intermittently with Liverpool over the past few months, and the 20-year-old has the makings of a phenomenal talent.
He already has 20 goals contributions in 26 games for Leverkusen so far this season, and 73 goals/assists in 129 outings for the club in total (Transfermarkt), a fantastic output for a playmaker so young.
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 1% of attacking midfielders in Europe’s five main leagues over the past year for passes (63.1) and assists (0.48) per game, while also featuring in the 93rd percentile for successful take-ons per 90 minutes with 3.48.
Wirtz would have some stiff competition to try and displace if he were to arrive at Liverpool later this year, but the potential presence of his current manager at Anfield may be enough of a factor to tempt him into a move, even though the Bundesliga leaders would reportedly demand upwards of £85m to sell him (Christian Falk).
The 20-year-old’s fate could be contingent on whether Alonso stays put at Leverkusen or takes on the challenge of replacing Klopp on Merseyside. We can likely expect to hear plenty more of his name over the coming months, especially if the Spaniard is brought back to LFC in a managerial guise.