Absolute magic: Liverpool will give Andoni Iraola his dream footballer

Liverpool are set to give Andoni Iraola his dream footballer. This should be absolute magic.

There's a new-look Liverpool this season as the Reds have decided to swap their head coach Arne Slot for Andoni Iraola. That means a different brand of football - and an exciting one.

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Things were about as dull as can be last season, after all. Liverpool struggled badly on the ball (and off it, admittedly) which has cost Slot his job.

Iraola brings something different. A move away from 'control' and towards 'chaos'.

Journalist Sid Lowe explained it for The Anfield Wrap. He talked about asking Iraola if he'd describe his football as 'organised chaos', to which the Spaniard responded that he'd agree, but he prefers the chaos side.

What that actually means is a deliberate attitude towards creating space in matches. Space and isolated duels between players - a move away from forcing teams back with controlled territorial gain.

It's an exciting idea. Bournemouth were always fun to watch and now Iraola gets to do it with world-class players.

One of which is particularly interesting and should, in theory, be the dream player for this style of play. Iraola should be the making of Florian Wirtz at Liverpool.

Wirtz struggled under Slot and that's for a few reasons. One is simply that Liverpool pushed teams back, limited all space in the final third, and then forced Wirtz to drop very deep to even get the ball.

But with limited space, players were able to be very, very physical with the German. It limited his game, taking away his greatest asset - that ability to drift into spaces.

To create chaos, you need to move players about the pitch and take control out of the equation. It's Wirtz's speciality - a player who actively wants to move everywhere in the attacking third and do things quickly, aiming to break defences down before they can settle into a shape.

It sounds like hyperbole but there may not be a better player for that than Wirtz. There's a reason Liverpool paid £100m for him, after all - he's capable of pulling defenders all over the place and finding the passes and the movements that capitalise on space.

Iraola is going to love him. He'll be the player organising the chaos.

Florian Wirtz: Situation Summary

Liverpool Campaign and Stats

As of 5 June 2026, Florian Wirtz has concluded a challenging debut domestic campaign with Liverpool. Following his high-profile £116 million arrival from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, the 23-year-old German attacking midfielder struggled to consistently adapt to the physical demands of the Premier League under Arne Slot. Across the 2025/26 season, he made 38 appearances in all competitions, recording seven goals and 10 assists. Despite flashes of his world-class creative potential, Wirtz largely found the transition difficult, culminating in a fifth-place finish for the Reds and a personal struggle for form during the final months of the campaign.

Transfer Speculation and Anfield Future

Despite intense media speculation linking him with a potential reunion with former mentor Xabi Alonso at Chelsea, Wirtz’s immediate future remains firmly at Anfield. Transfer experts have clarified that there are no active negotiations for a departure, and Liverpool’s hierarchy remains fully committed to the playmaker. With Andoni Iraola now appointed as the new head coach, the club expects the upcoming 2026/27 campaign to be the one where Wirtz truly asserts his influence and justifies his record-breaking transfer fee.