Philipp Lahm in the Guardian.
Florian Wirtz is a sure bet at Liverpool but Newcastle are gambling on Nick Woltemade | Transfer window | The Guardian
What must a footballer who costs €80m, €100m or more be able to do and prove? He should be a promising prospect at the age of 17 to 20; occupy a clear position on the pitch; be one of the five most important players in a team; perform consistently over many years; prove himself in international competition; and be physically strong. This applies to virtually all those players in this price range: Kylian Mbappé, Neymar, Ronaldo, Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham and Ousmane Dembélé.
Two German footballers moved to the Premier League for such a sum in the summer. One of them meets these criteria. Florian Wirtz’s career has been impressive. He caught the football’s attention as a teenager. It was only a matter of time before he made his breakthrough.
Having just turned 17, Wirtz made his mark in the Bundesliga and immediately became a key player. He played for Germany at 18 and was the decisive player in Bayer Leverkusen’s first league title at 20.
Every time he takes to the pitch, you can see how Wirtz interprets his No 10 role. He solves difficult situations, sets up new ones and, as an individualist who puts himself at the service of everyone else, is the ideal team player. His actions and performances are reliable for coaches and teammates.
He chose his new club for sporting reasons. Liverpool, the English champions, have specifically strengthened their stable formation with him.
It takes time to fit into a team. This is especially true for a player who makes a difference. So far, he is getting into his groove and adapting to the pace and intensity of the Premier League. He passes the ball early, which gives him increasing confidence and allows him to gradually take more risks.
In the first half against Arsenal, what caught the eye was Wirtz as a team player, and in the second half, his brilliance. He played razor‑sharp passes, took the ball superbly with his right foot in the penalty area and shot with his left. With him, his team became stronger and won. Wirtz’s qualities are becoming increasingly apparent at Liverpool.
The case of Nick Woltemade is different. He is 23, a good year older than Wirtz, but became a regular player in a first division team only after scoring two goals against Heidenheim nine months ago. At the age when Wirtz won the double with Leverkusen, Woltemade was playing on loan in the German third tier for a season.
It is unclear how well he will perform in the Champions League. He has not played in the competition because Stuttgart did not include him in their squad for it last season. He has not yet scored against big teams, his most important goal coming in the cup final against the third-tier side Arminia Bielefeld.
He is a player with virtually no track record. At the European Under-21 Championship this summer, he was the top scorer – one of the oldest players in one of the oldest teams. The best footballers, such as Lamine Yamal, Bellingham, Jamal Musiala and Wirtz, do not take part in such tournaments having long since outgrown the level.
Woltemade is unpredictable, his dribbling, passing and shooting are not found in the textbooks; they are unique, with no international comparison. Unlike other top players, his centre of gravity is rarely at the centre of the movement. He thrives on his free spirit and self-confidence and seems to want to reinvent the game at No 9.
But he has not yet developed any consistency or patterns – not in his first touch, not in his combination play, not in his timing on headers, not in his shooting. His goals are not the logical consequence of excellent actions and skills. His excellence is not repeatable. And he still has to prove that he can last 50 games in a season, because he is tall but not robust.
The €85m (£73.5m) that Newcastle are paying for Woltemade is therefore a gamble. For the player, the new contract is a once-in-a-lifetime project. He wanted to go to Bayern Munich, and when someone else paid the asking price, he went there. The owners from Saudi Arabia and the club’s management are new to the business. In a gold rush atmosphere, mistakes are made and miracles are believed in.
That is the difference between the two transfers.
Liverpool want to develop a successful team through the principle of selection. At Anfield people don’t mind that Wirtz costs €125m because they know that this is sports business at the highest level, whose market value can be compared only to art, film or pop music. This has nothing to do with club life and voluntary work any more. When investments are made according to a strategy, paying customers accept it.
Under the caring guidance of Arne Slot, something interesting seems to be emerging in Liverpool. Something you want to be a part of. I can well understand why Wirtz was convinced. I experienced it myself at Bayern from 2010 to 2017 and with Germany from 2004 to 2014. Both teams went through a long process, becoming stronger through transfers or new players coming through. In the end, the sum was greater than the individual parts.
I will draw on this community for the rest of my life. Wirtz can now experience something similar, at least at club level. It will be exciting to see whether Liverpool will be a really great team and whether he will be the final piece of the puzzle. As a fan, I hope so, and I am happy to identify with that.
Two of the summer’s biggest transfer moves from Germany to the Premier League are starkly contrasting prospects
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