Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes and his team were willing to pay over £115M on Wirtz who is widely known as one of the best playmakers in world football. The 22-year-old 21 goals and supplied 23 assists in the previous two Bundesliga seasons for Bayer Leverkusen and has been compared to many iconic midfielders including De Bruyne who recently left Manchester City to join Napoli.
Giving his season predictions on Sky Sports, Carragher not only compared Wirtz to the Belgian star but also said he could replace his role in the Premier League as one of the best playmakers.
“I think Liverpool getting that deal done was fantastic. He came off on Friday night and probably wasn’t at his absolute best, but even so, he still showed some silky, lovely touches – there’s just something special when you watch him play.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing how he performs next weekend. I’m already imagining the Liverpool team next Monday. He might actually play as a false nine, or Liverpool might go with a striker alongside him.
“With Kevin De Bruyne leaving, we needed a superstar in that kind of position in the league, and I think he could be that player to watch.”
Wirtz has become a major talking point around the Premier League after his debut for Liverpool in the 4-2 win against Bournemouth. According to statistics he ran more than any other player, running 60 metres more than Dominik Szoboszlai every 10 minutes. There is no doubt he is an incredible talent but he has a long way to go before he can be compared to De Bruyne.