Istanbul 2005 hero urges Liverpool to sign Coutinho-esque magician who the Kop would ‘love’

One of the heroes of Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League triumph has had his say on which reported transfer target he’d most like to see arriving at Anfield this summer.

Vladimir Smicer, who scored the second goal against AC Milan in Istanbul 19 years ago tomorrow, highlighted Florian Wirtz as the one player he’d love to witness coming in more than any other, likening the Bayer Leverkusen playmaker to a former Reds favourite.

Speaking to OLBG (via The Mirror), the 51-year-old said: “If I could urge Liverpool to sign anyone this summer it would be Florian Wirtz, who is a player that reminds me of Philippe Coutinho. Liverpool fans love that type of player, Bobby Firmino was another player who was very popular, so I’d go with Wirtz.”

The comparison between Wirtz and Coutinho is a pertinent one by Smicer when assessing the two players in further detail.

The 20-year-old German ended Leverkusen’s triumphant unbeaten Bundesliga campaign with 11 goals and assists each, averaging 2.2 shots, 2.3 key passes and 2.5 successful dribbles per game (WhoScored), with 33 shots on target throughout the season (1.25 per 90 minutes, as per FBref).

In the Brazilian’s first full term at Liverpool in 2013/14, when he was 21 and therefore at a similar career juncture to Wirtz now, he only managed 12 goal contributions in total but averaged 2.8 shots, two key passes and 1.8 completed dribbles per match (WhoScored). He landed 34 shots on target altogether at an average of 1.32 per 90 minutes (FBref).

Despite the manner of his exit to Barcelona in 2018, Coutinho was adored by the Kop for his wizardry on the pitch, often being the one man capable of conjuring a piece of match-winning magic before Jurgen Klopp assembled the iconic front three of Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mo Salah.

Wirtz may have been subdued in Leverkusen’s Europa League final defeat in midweek, but he’s still a marvellous footballer with an extremely high ceiling, and we can certainly get on board with Smicer’s advocation of him as a prospective Reds signing this summer.