Bayer Leverkusen may have had to sell Kai Havertz, the crown jewel of their academy, to Chelsea in the summer.
Still, they did bank €85m from this sale, which, during the current COVID-influenced climate, is a substantial sum of money to receive for one player.
Additionally, as has been the case with most top German teams in recent years, the departure of one top talent is made up for by the arrival of yet another highly-rated young player stepping up to the senior side.
Borussia Dortmund have become something of an expert at this, with a glut of extremely promising young players at their disposal at the moment, and Die Werkself are not too far behind.
Havertzs place in the team has been taken by the 17-year-old wonderkid Florian Wirtz, who has already broken a few age-related records in Germany.
He became Leverkusens youngest-ever player when he made his debut against Werder Bremen in May 2020 and also became the youngest goalscorer in Bundesliga history when he scored against Bayern Munich in June 2020, although Dortmunds Youssoufa Moukoko later broke that record in December.
Wirtz has already drawn comparisons to his predecessor in the team, being called the new Havertz.
Although these comparisons are extremely premature, he has already managed to nail down a place in Leverkusens starting XI—no mean feat for a 17-year-old—and is putting in some excellent displays.
This scout report will examine Wirtzs playing profile and traits to gauge his playing style and identify his strengths and weaknesses.
Florian Wirtz Style Of Play & Stats
Wirtz is a diminutive player, standing at just 593, although he still has time to grow and develop physically.
In terms of his position, the German youngster is primarily an attacking midfielder, and has been used as such by Leverkusen, although he has also played in central midfield, and even at centre-forward on a couple of occasions.
He is quite comparable to Havertz in that the Chelsea playmaker also fulfilled various roles for Leverkusen.
Still, both these players are undoubtedly at their best when playing as playmakers, or number 10s.
Wirtzs career heatmap so far illustrates this.
We can immediately see that the vast majority of Wirtzs actions take place in the space just outside the opposition penalty area and in the wide half-spaces.
As the analysis will show, he is not averse to roaming across the width of the pitch to link up with his teammates and is extremely effective at playing on the turn.
We will now examine Wirtzs statistics from the Bundesliga sea
