Liverpool ready to sign £100m midfielder

Andoni Iraola‘s task is simple: put Liverpool back on their perch.

The former Bournemouth boss will undoubtedly have been informed by his FSG overlords that Liverpool need to challenge for the Premier League and the Champions League during the 2026/27 season, but the truth of the matter is that the Reds must first sort out the deep cracks that appeared under Arne Slot’s management last year.

Iraola will have no shortage of creases to iron out on Merseyside next term, but his high-intensity, attack-focused tactics could be better tailored toward the fooball that Liverpool believe are integral to their identity.

Moreover, the Spanish coach could hold the key to unlocking big-money enigma Florian Wirtz.

Why Florian Wirtz could thrive under Iraola at Liverpool

When Wirtz signed from Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool in a record-breaking £116m deal last summer, he arrived with a weight of expectation. This was one of the most exciting playmakers in Europe, hailed as a “genius” of a footballer by Xabi Alonso.

But it would be fair to say that it didn’t happen for the German international last year, who drifted through the campaign without ever really becoming a focal point for Slot’s struggling side.

He scored seven goals and supplied ten assists across 49 appearances in all competitions, but in truth, the 23-year-old left so much to be desired, uninfluential and fruitless in trying to control many matches for the Reds.

There’s no question that Wirtz remains one of the most exciting attackers in the world, and the hope is that Iraola will manage to find a system and tactical role that will allow Wirtz to grow into a leading force in the Premier League.

Smart, quick thinking and breathtaking when operating with freedom and space to create magic on the ball, Wirtz needs a more stable, flowing structure to guide him into the limelight, and while Iraola’s tactics could help there, FSG are intent on signing a midfielder who could partner perfectly with him.

The midfielder Liverpool could sign to help Wirtz

Germany hardly fired on all cylinders across their wretched World Cup campaign, stodgy and uninspiring before being knocked out by Paraguay at the first knockout hurdle. In that, Wirtz worked within conditions not too dissimilar to those at Anfield last year.

However, Iraola could change all that, especially if Liverpool manage to pull off a marquee move for not just PSG’s Bradley Barcola – a top target for the Reds – but also emerging Moroccan star Ayyoub Bouaddi, who “has the potential to be one of the best midfielders ever in the game“, according to African football journalist Amine el Amri.

According to Football Insider, Liverpool (and Arsenal) are ready to sign Bouaddi and will reluctantly accept conditions to loan the midfielder back to LOSC Lille if it is ‘the only way to get the deal done’.

Bouaddi, valued at £100m, is indeed one of the most exciting midfield prospects in the world, and it says something of Liverpool’s determination to get a deal done that they are willing to fork out a nine-digit sum this summer, yet would not even have him in their ranks until 2027/28.

Rangy, but not particularly imposing from a physical perspective, Bouaddi has something Sergio Busquets-esque about him, and in that, he could be the perfect solvent at the heart of Iraola’s Liverpool line-up, keeping things ticking and tidy, allowing Wirtz to flourish in attack.

Bouaddi is far more robust and controlled than the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, who has fallen off a proverbial cliff in regard to his standards and his form. Bouaddi, far younger, would provide steely framework from which someone like Wirtz could find the freedom to make things happen.

After all, Wirtz didn’t exactly have the most fluent system from which he could try and star as Liverpool’s playmaker, and one or two tweaks inside Iraola’s system could make the world of difference. As analyst Asim Mahmood puts it, “Bouaddi is going to be a superstar“.

Iraola may have to make do without Bouaddi for the next year, but the two players are young and among the most gifted of their generation. They could dominate for Liverpool over many years.