Currently, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s decision to leave Liverpool and sign for Real Madrid at the end of his contract last year feels like it is not benefiting anyone.
The Spanish giants are yet to find a starring role at right-back in Xabi Alonso’s system. Trent is out in the cold versus versus versus England coached by Thomas Tuchel. Liverpool will dearly miss their starboy’s creativity and talent.
All of this is premature. A lot can change and we are only three months into the 2025/26 campaign. However, Arne Slott’s Liverpool are currently short on ideas. And just as importantly, they cannot find answers to their opponent’s tactics.
Slott worked with Anfield sporting director Richard Hughes to sign Florian Wirths from Bayer Leverkusen for a record-breaking £116m transfer in the coming months, with the aim of redirecting Liverpool’s creative focus towards more traditional areas.
Liverpool are currently considering a new attacking midfielder to rival Wirtz for a spot in the Reds’ starting XI.
Why Liverpool are considering signing Wertz’s rival
Liverpool have acquired a generational talent in Wertz. The 22-year-old has shown age-defying quality over the years in his home country, proving he is destined for greatness.
But there’s no denying it’s been a difficult road since the start of the season.
Wirtz is yet to record a goal involvement in the Premier League and has yet to score a goal in any competition. But his struggles come against the backdrop of Liverpool’s wider problems this season. The slot side have lost five of their last six top-flight games, leaving them worryingly unbalanced and lacking in confidence.
However, Wirtz has proven his skills for Germany during the current international break, with analyst Raj Chauhan saying his “creative passing has been insane”.
Florian Wirtz’s international break | ||
|---|---|---|
match statistics | vs lux | vs SVK |
Play time (minutes) | 90 minutes | 77 minutes |
the goal | 0 | 0 |
assist | 0 | 2 |
Number of shots (on target) | 4(2) | 2 (0) |
exact path | 46/56 (82%) | 72/77 (94%) |
An opportunity has arisen | 1 | 6 |
cross | 0/5 | 2/5 |
dribble | 5/6 | 1/3 |
collect | 5 | 9 |
ground duel | 8/10 | 3/5 |
Data via Sofascore | ||
However, with Harvey Elliott struggling on loan at Aston Villa and likely to leave permanently in the near future, Liverpool have listed 19-year-old midfielder Keith Smit as a potential rival for Wirtz in their slot system.
According to Soccer News, the AZ Alkmaar talent has emerged as a strong candidate for a move to Liverpool, with FSG further attracted to the player following personal advocacy from Slott, who worked with the young prospect during his time at AZ in the 2019/20 season.
The teenager is worth around £22.5m, with Barcelona and Real Madrid among the sharks.
What Keith Smit offers Liverpool
Although Smit is young and inexperienced, the word around the Dutch city is that he is one of the country’s most exciting up-and-comers. In fact, analyst Ben Mattinson recognizes Smit’s “superstar potential,” calling him not only a natural talent, but also intelligent, hard-working and strong defensively.
The Netherlands Under-21 star has already made 50 appearances for the first team, scoring four goals and providing six assists. An increasingly important figure in the Eredivisie, he has started all 11 games this term, scoring two goals and providing two assists in each, completing an 88% of his passes, creating an average of two chances per game and collecting six balls per game.
He is very energetic, mobile, athletic and at the same time has the insight to apply himself at the right stage and never tries too hard. This is a rare trait for such a young player and underlines the midfielder’s potential to succeed in the Premier League.
According to FBref, Smit ranks in the top 14% of midfielders in the Dutch top flight this season for completed passes and successful take-offs, and in the top 8% for shot creation actions per 90 points.
The action that creates the shot is part of the play that leads to the shot. This includes the moment a pass, take-on, or foul is drawn.
Should Wirtz be worried about starting? All of the above is true, but stepping into the tough English football environment is not easy. Mr. Wirtz will testify on that claim.
However, Smit is not an out-and-out attacking midfielder compared to his older counterpart, and in that regard he could be a tight tactical fit in the gloves under slot management, injecting more creativity while adding steel and compactness to the engine room.
His more balanced approach differs from Wirtz’s. The Merseyside new signing has faced criticism for his lack of physicality in the Premier League. While some may point out that this is unfair, there is no question that Wirtz needs to be more aggressive in duels and more combative when facing defenders.
The aforementioned Mattinson named Smit as a “dueling monster”, further underscoring his potential in Slott’s Liverpool set-up.
The Reds have options in midfield and some creative players. But it doesn’t take a football-savvy brain in the slot to conclude that something isn’t going well for the Premier League champions. They need to find a way out of this current rut or a worrying start will turn into a disastrous campaign with far-reaching implications.
If Liverpool are successful in sealing the signing of Smit this winter, they could very well add the perfect dimension to alleviate the club’s attacking problems.
Perhaps this competition will help Wirtz develop into a Liverpool man and begin to fulfill the promise Liverpool were promised when they spent an incredible amount of money to bring him in from Germany.
But even if he doesn’t, Smit has the potential to boast as one of the best players in the world, which could give Liverpool’s German mavericks cause for concern.