Liverpool Must Sign Aleksandar Pavlovic to Finally Unlock Florian Wirtz

· GiveMeSport

Liverpool can finally unlock Florian Wirtz by sealing a deal to sign a midfield machine who Jurgen Klopp loves.

The Reds completed a then-club-record deal to sign the Germany international in the summer of 2025 from Bayer Leverkusen, beating off a host of competition for his signature in a move that was considered to be seismic at the time.

But the playmaker struggled in his debut campaign in the Premier League, registering just five goals and three assists in 33 appearances in the English top flight, as Liverpool struggled to a fifth-place finish just 12 months after winning the title.

Liverpool fans were hopeful that was just a one-off blip, in a season where the team struggled with injuries and consistency following a number of issues off the pitch, and there was an expectancy that he would be able to kick on this season under Andoni Iraola.

But in the opening five games of the Premier League campaign this season, plus one Champions League game, Wirtz has registered just one assist and no goals, which has led to major criticism from the likes of Jamie Carragher about how good he actually is.

However, former Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is now the manager of the national team, and has laid the blueprint for how to use the talented number ten if you want to get the best out of him.

Wirtz turned in a brilliant performance in the 2-0 win over Serbia on Thursday night, scoring the second goal of the game, and proving that he can still be one of the top playmakers in the world on his day.

So how can Liverpool replicate that Wirtz performance in the Premier League to make sure they get their money's worth? It's simple - sign a top defensive midfielder that will allow him to focus on doing what he's good at. It's clear after the Serbia game, that the perfect option would be Aleksandar Pavlovic.

Pavlovic broke into the Bayern Munich side in 2023 under Thomas Tuchel and has never looked back, becoming a regular in the team alongside Joshua Kimmich in midfield in recent years.

The powerful midfielder is one of the most complete central midfielders around, and aged just 22, he has got a very bright future and a huge career ahead of him. Having come through the academy at Bayern, it's not likely to be an easy deal to do, with club chief Lothar Matthaus a huge fan.

> "Pavlovic is a ball machine. He exudes confidence, sometimes goes on the offensive and can score goals from a distance. Pavlovic has something of Toni Kroos about him."

But Liverpool have shown in recent years that when they really want a player, they are more than willing to pay whatever it takes to get him in. That's how they ended up with Wirtz in the first place, as well as Alexander Isak and Bradley Barcola.

Pavlovic showed that he is the perfect foil for Wirtz in midfield, and with Iraola understood to be keen on getting a new holding midfielder in in 2027, he should be right at the top of their wishlist.

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