Arne Slot Insists Florian Wirtz Must Reach Salah’s Level To Meet Liverpool Expectations

Arne Slot has said Florian Wirtz must scope nan standards group by Mohamed Salah to realise Liverpool’s ­expectations of their caller grounds signing.

Wirtz will make his Premier League debut erstwhile nan champions open nan play astatine location to Bournemouth connected Friday. Slot said nan Germany international’s “adjustment went amended than expected, and we already expected a lot”, but admitted a much meticulous gauge would return time.

Liverpool see nan 22-year-old a transformative signing successful nan mould of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson. Their caput coach believes Wirtz tin person a akin effect by pursuing nan illustration of Salah, who continues to group nan standards astatine Liverpool and has scored 9 goals successful 7 opening-day fixtures, a Premier League record.

Slot was asked whether Wirtz was a signing to return Liverpool to nan adjacent level. “That is thing I tin only reply successful nan upcoming years,” he said. “­Everything we expect is very positive, but betwixt expecting and realising thing is different.

“Why are Messi and Ronaldo and Mo truthful highly regarded? Because they are ever fit. Every azygous crippled they are fresh and that is thing that ­Florian first has to show successful a convention for illustration ours. If he is capable to enactment fresh past our fans will spot awesome moments.”

Liverpool paid a nine grounds £100m to motion nan attacking midfielder from Bayer Leverkusen and he could costs a British grounds £116m pinch add-ons. Slot, however, denies Wirtz is simply a connection signing by nan club, who hit Bayern Munich and Manchester City to his signature.

“Liverpool person done this before,” he said. “With Alisson Becker we spent truthful overmuch money, pinch Virgil we spent truthful overmuch money, and pinch ostentation I deliberation it is nan [level of] Liverpool signing. We chiefly make these signings. But we besides waste players. If we make these signings, we besides person to waste players.

“He is simply a different floor plan to what we have. That is what we wanted – to bring a different floor plan successful alternatively than adding thing that we already had. It is very affirmative that we could bring successful specified a highly regarded player, but Liverpool has ever been capable to bring successful these kinds of players.”

Liverpool’s summertime spending will walk nan £300m people erstwhile nan 18-year-old defender Giovanni Leoni joins from Parma for an first £26m. The nine besides want to adhd Marc Guéhi and Alexander Isak.

On a summertime of alteration astatine Anfield, Slot said: “I would person preferred Trent [Alexander-Arnold] to stay, but unluckily he didn’t. Then you person to switch him. Then you person situations for illustration Caoimhín Kelleher and Jarell Quansah. It is ever difficult for a subordinate to person 2 aliases 3 seasons for illustration this [not being a regular] successful a statement and if a subordinate is not capable to do this mentally past it is champion to divided ways and you person to replace.

“The Luís Diaz and Darwin Núñez situations are rather clear truthful past you person to replace. I deliberation we did that really well. From nan options we could get we sewage each nan ones we would for illustration to bring in.”