Where Liverpool's 10 forwards stand with Florian Wirtz to become club record transfer

Where Liverpool's 10 forwards stand with Florian Wirtz to become club record transfer

Florian Wirtz is still expected to complete his transfer to Liverpool in the coming days, but where does that leave the attacking players currently at the club?

Florian Wirtz is poised to complete his switch to Liverpool (Image: Getty Images )

Not just yet, Liverpool fans. But it should be soon.

Florian Wirtz's switch to Anfield is still widely expected to be completed as all sides are hopeful over the deal, and once he's arrived the discussion will soon turn to just where he might play in the side.

‌

With flexibility a key element in Arne Slot's XIs, Wirtz's ability to play both in midfield and attacking roles will be key, but the prevailing wisdom is that the German international will take up a role in the centre of the action, either as a false 9 dropping into spaces and creating them for others or in a number 10 role advancing from midfield.

‌

So what does that mean for the other attacking players in a Liverpool side which seems set for an evolution despite just becoming Premier League champions?

Liverpool issue forthright response to Barcelona as approach made for Luis Diaz transfer READ MORE:

Liverpool star Ibrahima Konate explains Anfield influence on PSG wonderkid Desire Doue READ MORE:

The past season saw six players fight for the three most advanced positions in Slot's side, while there are also four youngsters who have already tasted first-team football with the Reds on the books who would like to see more of it.

So what would Wirtz's arrival, plus the potential signing of another forward, mean for all of them? And where do they stand in the pecking order? We've taken a look.

Article continues below

Mohamed Salah

Mo Salah enjoyed the season of his life in 2024-25 (Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images )

We might as well start with the main man. Liverpool's decision to pay Salah the money he wanted for the next two years is a commitment that would have been more difficult for the club to sanction than many realise.

As Salah himself has said since he signed his contract, there are policies in place at Liverpool when it comes to older players, but the sheer numbers posted by the Egyptian in his season of seasons made it almost impossible for the club to let him go.

‌

Salah will still be the fulcrum of the Liverpool attack for next season at least, with Slot's tactics slanted towards once again getting the best out of him. As the man himself said of his conversations with Slot: "You can see the numbers. Now I don't have to defend much. The tactics are quite different. I said 'as long as you rest me defensively I will provide offensively', so I am glad that I did. He listened a lot and you can see the numbers." Liverpool will bank on seeing them again.

Cody Gakpo

Cody Gakpo and Linda Pizzuti at Liverpool's title parade (Image: Joe Gomez - Instagram )

He won't go as far as saying that he was glad to see the back of Jurgen Klopp, but the arrival of Slot has given Gakpo more certainty over his position in the team, and it has been striking to see how he has never shifted from the left flank under his compatriot.

‌

The close season has brought news of surprise interest from Bayern Munich in the former PSV Eindhoven man, but it would take a huge, and unwelcome, bid for Liverpool to consider selling a player who is coming into his prime at 26.

After perhaps being a little reserved at first Gakpo is coming into his own as a character at Liverpool - as Joe Gomez's photo of him with a cigar next to John Henry's wife Linda Pizzuti at the title parade shows - and he should still be seen as a key man going forward.

Luis Diaz

Luis Diaz has been attracting admiring glances from Barcelona (Image: AP )

‌

Now this is where things start to get interesting. Diaz has two years remaining on his Liverpool contract, and right now the only thing you can say with relative certainty is that he won't sign a new one.

The Reds may opt to extend the Colombian's stay by a year in order to give him a well deserved pay rise as he isn't currently anywhere near the biggest Anfield earners, but it is much more likely that his stay is allowed to run its course until the end of his contract in 2027.

The 28-year-old has been one of the architects of the title win and arguably did more than anyone in the season's opening weeks to show that life would go on without Klopp, but Liverpool aren't afraid to extract the maximum from a player before letting them leave for free, and as long as Diaz keeps performing then that seems the most likely outcome right now - barring a huge offer for his services.

‌

Darwin Nunez

Darwin Nunez scored just seven goals in all competitions this season (Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images )

He's been a player who has divided opinion for much of his time at Liverpool, but right now you'll struggle to find a Reds fan who thinks Nunez should still be at the club beyond this summer.

The Uruguayan's last league start came against Southampton in early March, and while his impact that day - he scored and won a penalty - showed just what he can do when he's on his game, those performances have been sorely lacking for a while.

‌

Slot's denial that there was an agreement in place which meant Liverpool would have had to pay Benfica an extra £5m should Nunez have started one more league game didn't convince anyone, and when that is exactly what came to pass he's now hovering around the exit door. Liverpool will have a price for him, and they'll very much hope it is met.

Diogo Jota

Jota again struggled with injuries in 2024-25 (Image: AFP via Getty Images )

Perhaps the most intriguing name on the list, there's a bit of a wait and see element to Jota's summer, but such as been his impact at the club then Liverpool are unlikely to be too perturbed by that with two years left on his deal.

‌

This is a man who has just completed his fifth season at Anfield, has 65 Liverpool goals and is a popular member of the team, so there will be no rush to get him out of the door despite a disappointing season in which he was hampered by a rib injury against Chelsea in October.

He still managed crucial winning goals against Crystal Palace and Everton and a key equaliser at Nottingham Forest, and the sense is that Liverpool will hope to get him right for another go under Slot in pre-season. If a good offer were to arrive though...

Federico Chiesa

Chiesa has made just six Premier League appearances for Liverpool (Image: PA )

‌

He wouldn't have wanted his biggest impact at Liverpool thus far to be an extremely catchy song, but we are where we are with the Italian.

Chiesa has never really seemed up to speed for Liverpool life, but in his defence he had been frozen out by Juventus prior to his move and never had a pre-season to speak of. If he's still around by the time the Reds return then Slot will seek to put him through his paces and see if he can be a bit more use next time around.

A quick flip and a sale back to Italy remains a very large possibility as well though, and as with Diaz and Jota, although perhaps a bit more willingly, you sense it will just be a case of seeing what transpires.

‌

Jayden Danns

All of Danns' Liverpool goals so far have come in the FA Cup (Image: Getty Images )

Three goals in nine senior Liverpool appearances isn't bad going at all, and it was easy to see why Sunderland thought Danns could add to their promotion push when they took him on loan in January. Sadly though, he never kicked a ball for them.

Injury decimated the forward's loan just as it had done a previous planned switch to Plymouth Argyle, and so getting the 19-year-old some first-team action will surely be the plan from here. Sunderland are still interested, but after their promotion it might be best to send Danns to the Championship.

‌

Ben Doak

Ben Doak was terrific for Middlesbrough before his injury (Image: PA )

Speaking of the Championship, Doak excelled there with Middlesbrough last season before a cruel injury ended his campaign in January and severely hampered Boro's promotion hopes.

Doak impressed enough to become the subject of some serious interest from Premier League sides, and Liverpool might decide to cash in should the offer prove tempting. Another loan is also a possibility.

‌

Lewis Koumas

Lewis Koumas scored six goals in the Championship last season (Image: Getty Images )

He didn't get the headlines Doak did, but Welsh international Koumas played almost double the amount of games and scored double the amount of goals than the Scot did in the past season, and he's become a regular in his country's squad too.

That doesn't mean he qualifies to go straight into the Liverpool side though, and it might be that the 19-year-old is given another loan spell, potentially in the Premier League, to ascertain the heights he could reach.

‌

Rio Ngumoha

Rio Ngumoha became Liverpool’s youngest ever starter at 16 years and 135 days against Accrington Stanley in January (Image: Jan Kruger/Getty Images )

The baby of the group, Ngumoha won't turn 17 until late August and so there won't be any expectations placed upon him just yet despite his immense promise.

The teenager will hope to feature during pre-season and build on his 71 minutes in the FA Cup against Accrington Stanley in the coming campaign, with Slot only likely to introduce him to the first-team environment when he considers the time to be right.

Article continues below

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Click here to read article