Newcastle United have a keen interest in Bayer Leverkusen forward Florian Wirtz who has now been named as one of the best players under 21 years old in world football.
The list, produced by ESPN contains 39 players who will be under the age of 21 on 1st April and it reads like Newcastle United‘s transfer list. So many players featuring on the list that have in some way been linked to Newcastle in recent months including Andrey Santos, Ansu Fati and Rasmus Hojlund.
One player whose name is consistently in the frame as a potential summer target is Florian Wirtz. The German attacking midfielder has garnered a sterling reputation among fans and pundits alike, which is why ESPN placed the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder eighth in the overall list.
Florian Wirtz has achieved amazing stats despite so few minutes
The feeling is that he might have placed higher were it not for his shocking injury record. This season he’s managed just nine Bundesliga appearances after rupturing his cruciate ligament in March last year.
However, in those nine appearances he has managed to assist four goals which, when you factor in that he only played the full 90 minutes in one of those games adds an extra sprinkle of awesome to the stat. It’s in Europe that his numbers really shine, however. In six Europa League outings, Wirtz has managed three goals and four assists. Mind blowing.
ESPN said in their profile: “Following a nine-month injury absence because of a ruptured cruciate ligament, Wirtz has managed to get himself back to the level he was at before disaster struck. Wirtz is arguably the most talented German prospect of his generation and has made a huge impact for Leverkusen, both domestically and in Europe.”
Newcastle would have a hard time luring Wirtz to Tyneside
Highlighting his strengths, ESPN noted: “One of the most complete attacking midfielders in European football, Wirtz — who is equally dominant in a central position behind the striker, cutting in from the left or even as a false nine up front — is excellent at gaining space with his wonderful dribbling abilities. Not only is he capable of beating opponents from a standing position, he also does something clinical afterwards, with cleverly executed passes, well-engineered combinations or shots on target. In addition to being a technically gifted playmaker, Wirtz’s avid pressing helps him win the ball back.”
ESPN round off the profile by stating that in order to improve his main concern has to be simply staying fit. With the one weakness being something that’s technically out of his control, it’s not hard to see why Newcastle are so keen to bring the 19-year-old to the Premier League.
There’s obviously interest from many of Europe’s top clubs in Florian Wirtz, so Newcastle would have to put together a very attractive package to lure the German to Tyneside. But with the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Barcelona sniffing around it won’t be easy, especially with reports that the latter have ‘seduced‘ him already.
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