Concerns as to how the arrival of Florian Wirtz might affect Mohammed Salah were drowned out by the acclaim afforded to Richard Hughes and the other Liverpool chiefs involved in the Germany international’s transfer.
Sure, Liverpool didn’t really need a new playmaker after winning the Premier League title at a canter.
Sure, Wirtz’s preference for the inside-left channel might leave Salah isolated on the right, particularly after the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid.
Sure, that money could have been spent on a centre-back, or indeed a right winger to provide backup and competition for Salah, who may score and assist as though he’s made from microchips and wires but isn’t actually a machine.
But Wirtz was a generational talent that the Reds – with their new Galactico-style transfer approach – felt they couldn’t miss out on, or at least didn’t want to miss out on in a show of strength vs European giants also vying for the 22-year-old’s signature.
Bayern Munich were chief among those alternative suitors, and have been gloriously salty about it ever since, but will now be revelling in reports of renewed interest from Liverpool in Michael Olise, and the opportunity to shut the transfer door in their face, as director of sport Max Eberl is sure to do should they come calling.
“The contract runs until June 2029, contains no exit clause, and Olise is on his way to becoming one of the best players in the world,” Eberl said when asked about interest in the former Crystal Palace star.
Liverpool, along with most top Premier League teams, were keen on Olise and the very attractive release clause of €60m [£52] which was triggered by the Bundesliga giants in July 2024.
A report from Liverpool Echo in June of that summer explained how the Reds were ‘prioritising’ Olise over Cyrsencio Summerville; that even being a choice acts as an excellent example of just what can happen in 16 months of football.
Olise has amassed 26 goals and 29 assists in 66 appearances for Bayern in that time, more than doubling his market value to become the tenth most valuable player in the world at €130m [£113m], which won’t have troubled Liverpool all that much while Salah was on his way to finish fourth in the Ballon d’Or by driving them to their second Premier League title.
But the Frenchman is now very much on their radar as Salah slumps as hard as any player under Arne Slot this season having been handed a huge new contract that the club might just be regretting already.
While Olise’s market value has jumped from €100m to €130m this season, Wirtz’s has dropped from €140m as the pair share that tenth spot in the most valuable players list.
And with all ‘time to adapt’ caveats for Wirtz’s poor start to life at Anfield considered, even assuming he does come good and thrives under Slot in the Premier League, Liverpool still would have been better off signing Olise.
They could have happily parted ways with a peak Salah amid fanfare and goodwill while retaining the same style of football that Slot has had to change to shoehorn Wirtz into his team.
Instead we’re faced with what could be the incredibly bleak decline of Salah, filled with remorse and antipathy, and the same question as to who the bloody hell could replace one of the club’s greatest ever players. The answer was Michael Olise, but isn’t now after they beat Bayern to the wrong £113m player.