Last season, at a UEFA gathering, a Liverpool executive and a key figure from a top Champions League club were engaged in a deep conversation when someone posed this question.
“Who is currently the best player in Germany?”
“Florian Wirtz,” the other party replied.
“We could sign him for €150 million,” the smug European said, completely unaware that Liverpool had already begun the process of signing the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder at a far lower price.
Liverpool’s senior official found the boast both amusing and slightly irritating. However, after the private meeting, he believed that with a combination of caution, patience, and shrewd negotiation, he would one day share such an anecdote with Wirtz—who would be wearing Liverpool’s famous No. 7 shirt.
Outside the club, it is widely believed that signing Wirtz and Isak for record British transfer fees (the pair are likely to make their first joint appearance against Burnley this weekend) represents a bold policy shift: moving from pursuing emerging talents to making “big-money” signings of established top-tier players.
Inside the club, this view is strongly refuted and dismissed as a blatant misunderstanding of how the club operates.
“This is the most typical summer in Fenway Sports Group (FSG)’s history,” a senior official commented. Liverpool’s commercial and matchday revenues have soared, while success in domestic and European competitions has expanded its possibilities in the transfer market. Every penny spent aligns with the club’s self-sustaining model.
Total recent transfer outlays have exceeded £400 million. But when all deals—including numerous add-on and bonus clauses—are taken into account, Liverpool’s net spend under Slot’s management will be approximately £136 million. This is because the club continues to sell players as shrewdly as it signs them.
