The battle is on as Man City, and Barca Liverpool struggles with Bayern Munich for star player Florian Wirtz
Manchester City and Liverpool remain determined to sign Florian Wirtz despite Bayern Munich’s ongoing interet in the Bayer Leverkusen prodigy, 90min understands.
Wirtz made his return from an ACL injury at the start of 2023 and his form so far this season is one of many reasons why Leverkusen are leading the Bundesliga in search of their first ever title.
From the ‘number 10’ role, it’s three goals and five assists 13 appearances for the 20-year-old, plus another eight goal contributions in six games across the Europa League and DFB-Pokal.
As 90min has reported previously, Leverkusen have already ruled out sanctioning deals for any key players during the upcoming January transfer window.
Wirtz is also expected to remain with Leverkusen into the 2024/25 season too, with the player’s father and agent, Hans-Joachim, confirming as much to Sky Sport Germany: “Currently, everything is geared towards Florian continuing to play in Leverkusen next season,” he said.
Florian Wirtz is set to star for Germany at Euro 2024 on home soil / Boris Streubel/GettyImages
A transfer is more likely to come in 2025, with a preference to stay in Germany making domestic suitors Bayern Munich an obvious destination. But 90min understands that Manchester City and Liverpool aren’t prepared to throw in the towel for Wirtz. They each remain huge admirers of the young attacker and intend to fight Bayern all the way to end of the race for his signature.
Wirtz was on the radar for City in particular long before his 2022 injury and that pursuit resumed earlier this year once the player had returned to the pitch. At that time, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United had also watched him in action, while Barcelona were heavily linked too.
City had a scouting presence at Leverkusen’s win over Hoffenheim early last month when Wirtz got on the scoresheet. He was the primary reason for the visit, although 25-year-old midfielder Exequiel Palacios is another Leverkusen player that City have been impressed by in recent months.
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Manchester City 2-1 Brighton VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Haaland scores to put City a comfortable position
Erling Haaland returns to the scoresheet as Manchester City return to winning ways with a narrow 2-1 win over Brighton.
After suffering back-to-back defeats before the recent international break, the champions are at risk of three consecutive defeats in the Premier League for the first time under Pep Guardiola.
That looked unlikely at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, when early goals from Julian Alvarez and Haaland – his first for City in four matches – saw them win get three points.
The reaction from Brighton substitute Ansu Fati in the 17th minute made for a tense final – and tensions increased when Manuel Akanji received a second yellow card in stoppage time – but City continued continue to hold out.
For much of the match, City looked more confident on Rodri’s return from his recent costly suspension. The return of John Stones also brings more confidence, although starting goalkeeper Ederson is on the bench after his recent international efforts for Brazil.
Brighton have impressed under the guidance of Roberto De Zerbi – who Guardiola repeatedly praises – but, with their bold play, their defense has appeared loose and their open-mindedness they were quickly exploited.
Phil Foden caused early trouble for the visitors when he won possession and stepped up to free the lively Jeremy Doku, who cut inside and curled up.
It didn’t take long to open the scoring, Doku again bypassed the defense to get to the touchline and cut the ball to Alvarez.
The Argentine World Cup winner’s goal wasn’t the cleanest, but his confidence was such that the first shot was too strong and he beat Jason Steele for his seventh goal of the season .
City continued to pile on the pressure with a burst from deep as Josko Gvardiol shot straight at Steele.
Kaoru Mitoma had his first chance for Brighton, but his tame effort was easily saved by Stefan Ortega and the Seagulls suffered a major blow when Mancunian Danny Welbeck was forced off injured after 15 minutes.
Haaland took further advantage of Brighton’s defensive weakness by ending their recent goal drought – by his extraordinary standards – by doubling their lead. Man City in the 19th minute.
The Norwegian had too much space as he headed into the box before firing a left-footed shot into the bottom corner from distance.
Alvarez caught the eye of VAR after pushing Pascal Gross but got nothing and Doku threatened again when he beat Man City veteran James Milner but failed to hit the target.
Brighton started to show some life early in the second half when Gross deflected a shot under pressure.
Haaland received Foden’s pass just after the hour mark, but his shot was saved by Steele.
Mitoma had another good chance after overcoming the Man City defense, but Ortega rushed to block it on the edge of the penalty area.
It was a warning that City failed to heed and as soon as Alvarez’s lob attempt failed, they were caught up in a quick counter-attack.
Brighton moved the ball quickly up the field and although Mitoma’s attempted pass into the box was blocked by Akanji, Fati was there in time to block it.
Brighton pressed until the last minute but struggled to create meaningful chances. Akanji’s late dismissal made home fans even more worried, but City got it done.
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7 GREAT STATS EARNED BY DOMINIK SZOBOSZLAI AS A GREAT START AT LIVERPOOL
It didn’t take long for Dominik Szoboszlai to adapt to his new surroundings at Liverpool and we’ve picked out seven impressive statistics following his incredible start to life at Anfield.
Liverpool signed the midfielder this summer from RB Leipzig after activating a release clause of around £60m. The 22-year-old has signed a five-year contract with Anfield and has made a strong impression at his new club.
His last moment of magic came against Leicester City in the EFL Cup when he curled a stunning shot into the top corner from outside the box. It’s fair to say that Jurgen Klopp was impressed with his performance. “I don’t need to tell him to shoot, he knows better than me that he has very good talent,” Klopp told reporters after the match.
“The next one, a little more complete, is another grenade. You can see that. In Premier League matches, everyone tries to stop him, which is why he hasn’t succeeded yet.
“But if he can do it, chances are the ball will go into the net. But the goal is big. In that situation, Wataru passed the ball and at that time there was no midfielder, no defender who could block him.
“That’s why after receiving the ball you have to try to make the first pass forward or at least have the idea of going forward. That helped a lot.
Of course, Szoboszlai is still in his early days with Liverpool, but the early signs are extremely promising. We’ve picked out seven impressive statistics following his incredible Premier League debut. – The Liverpool midfielder scored 2 goals from outside the penalty area. In eight appearances for the Red Devils, he has amassed an xG of just 0.59, giving him an outstanding xG performance of 1.41 goals.
– His most recent amazing goal against Leicester was scored with an xG of just 0.09. Choose this.
– Szoboszlai has created 12 chances for his teammates in the Premier League so far. Only Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson have created more at Liverpool since his arrival.
– Perhaps even more impressive is that the midfielder performed more actions that resulted in shots (30) than any other Liverpool player. Only Bukayo Saka, Rodri and James Maddision rank above Szoboszlai in this statistic for the entire Premier League.
– The 22-year-old makes an average of 5.17 successful passes in the final third per 90 minutes. Only Roberton is more than average in the Liverpool team. – Liverpool’s new midfield of Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo together scored 6 goals in September. This number is equal to Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita in all last season.
– Szoboszlai also brings value from the ball. The midfielder averaged 1.5 tackles per 90 minutes, more than Henderson and Milner averaged last season.
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Player Ratings: Liverpool vs Leicester City player comments: Dutch duo Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo fantastic as Dominik Szoboszlai seals Carabao Cup comeback for the Reds
The Dutch internationals teamed up to help overcome an early deficit against the league leaders at Anfield
Ryan Gravenberch and international teammate Cody Gakpo combined to score a vital goal for Liverpool as the Red Devils came from behind to beat Leicester City in the third round of the Carabao Cup. Gakpo equalized early in the second half, when Dominik Szoboszlai’s thunderous strike and Diogo Jota’s deft strike lifted the Red Devils to a comfortable 3-1 aggregate victory.
Liverpool continued their recent trend of conceding early goals when Kasey McAteer beat Caoimhin Kelleher after a good counter-attack in the third minute. However, the Red Devils’ response was strong as Ben Doak hit the woodwork, Gakpo saw an effort smartly denied by Jakub Stolarczyk, Jota wasted a chance from 2m out with about away from goal and Conor Coady headed the ball past Gakpo right on the line.
The Red Devils eventually equalised, with Gravenberch setting up Gakpo, who turned and fired to level the scores shortly after the break. Gakpo should have added a second goal a few minutes later, but his lob went over the crossbar.
Szoboszlai came off the bench to finally turn the game around, firing a shot over the bar from 25 yards. And Jota sealed it all, heading Jarell Quansah’s cross into the far corner with a smart backheel.
GOAL evaluates Liverpool’s Anfield players…
Goalkeeper and defense
Caoimhin Kelleher (June 10):
There wasn’t much I could do about McAteer’s goal. Otherwise he’s mostly just a spectator.
Curtis Jones (6/10):
The inverted full-back had good possession but his defensive weaknesses were exposed when Leicester attacked on the break.
Ibrahima Konaté (October 7):
He covered for Jones a lot and handled things in the background. A mature performance.
Jarell Quansah (8/10):
He could have been closer to his man when Leicester scored, but he made some important tackles and distributed well. A promising performance from the youngster who has impressed so far.
Kostas Tsimikas (7/10):
Was caught in Leicester’s first game – although he felt he had been fouled. The latter has improved much and is dangerous in the forward areas.
Midfielder
Harvey Elliott (May 10):
Starts bright but then fades. It is still unclear whether he is a midfielder or a winger.
Wataru Endo (6/10):
Put in some tackles, won some headers, and covered a lot of ground. Wasn’t always particularly tidy on the ball, though.
Ryan Gravenberch (8/10):
Some of his marauding runs were wonderful, and he was a real threat in the final third. Assisted Gakpo after a lovely piece of skill. Looked tired when removed from the game.
Attack
Ben Doak (6/10):
He offers pace and trickery on the wing, but his end product is lacking. He is an interesting prospect and will take time.
Cody Gakpo (August 10):
Packs balance with a sharp finish. I might have added one or two more. Finished the game at midfield, where he looked more comfortable.
Diogo Jota (7/10):
I should have scored in the first half. Causing problems with his energy and directness during breaks. A stunning heel lift added an exclamation point to the result.
Sub and manager
Dominik Szoboszlai (7/10):
Scored a world goal to put his team in the lead.
Darwin Nunez (July 10):
Full of energy when coming on the field and causing problems for Leicester’s defense. Stefan Bajcetic (N/A):
A convenient cameo gives Jones a break.
Jurgen Klopp (7/10):
Rotated heavily with one eye on Saturday’s clash with Spurs. Liverpool conceded early — again — but created chances in spades. Five or six wouldn’t have flattered them.
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