Tested formula makes Wirtz a 'low risk' £100m signing

There was a time when Liverpool looked to a German prodigy at Bayer Leverkusen as they sought to add another dimension to their attack but didn't get him.

- RICHARD JOLLY

That time was 2017, the Bundesliga wunderkind was Julian Brandt and the reason was that Jurgen Klopp, initially an advocate of his compatriot, was persuaded to switch his attentions to Mohamed Salah by Michael Edwards and the recruitment team assembled by Fenway Sports Group.

Fast forward eight years, when Brandt has had a fine career but Salah an exceptional one, and Liverpool have brought in the next generation of German playmaker. Florian Wirtz has cost an initial £100m; it could rise to a British record £116m if add-ons are triggered. It is already a club high: it could be a third overall record set in the FSG era after the most expensive prices then ever paid for a goalkeeper (Alisson, £65m) and defender (Virgil van Dijk, £75m). FSG can make the statement signing and balance the books. When they go big, it tends to be for a player they feel will be transformative.

Before his departure, Klopp admitted there were times he wished Liverpool had spent more. But he bought into the general policy. His relative frugality helped finance the Wirtz deal. So did the summer of his departure when Arne Slot arrived and Liverpool pocketed a transfer-market profit.

But if Wirtz's fee can seem off the scale - only Alisson, Van Dijk and Darwin Nunez have otherwise cost more than £60m - both the broader strategy and his profile render him a classic FSG buy. A couple of years ago, Klopp offered some insight into the criteria. "The owners really want 200 games at 20 years old," he said. "That is pretty difficult."