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. 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.
