How Bayer Leverkusen's young star can avoid becoming the next Mario Götze

Last summer, the surprise team of the 2023-24 campaign Bayer Leverkusen managed, against all odds, to keep their core of title-winning players and manager following a famous unbeaten campaign, ending Bayern Munich’s incredible 10-year winning streak.

Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen took advantage of a season of turmoil from Bayern and shocked the world to win their first ever Bundesliga title. Following this, many people suggested they would struggle to keep their best players from more established European clubs, much like how the young players from the 2016-17 Monaco Ligue 1 winning team were immediately poached by Europe’s elite. 

Instead, Leverkusen showed their intent to continue to rival Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga title, keeping the likes of Florian Wirtz, Jermaine Frimpong, Victor Boniface, and Piero Hincapié away from the swarming vultures that are the world’s richest clubs.

However, Die Werkself failed to take the next step forward in becoming a global superpower, and now face the reality of having their stars leave for pastures new. It would be harsh to suggest that it was a disappointing campaign for Leverkusen; they sit second in the Bundesliga table, 12 points ahead of third. But the goal of continuing to challenge Bayern was not reached, being knocked out of the Champions League by Munich themselves 5-0 on aggregate, and the Bavarian giants are on course to win back their Bundesliga title glory. Following this, manager Xabi Alonso seems headed towards the exit door with Real Madrid ready to bring their former player back to the Bernabéu, and star player Florian Wirtz appears to be the next to leave Leverkusen. 

While the promise of a massive pay rise and continuously challenging for the biggest trophies is an allure anyone would struggle to refuse, young players have made the same mistake countless times of choosing the wrong time to leave or the wrong landing spot. Wirtz smartly stayed at Leverkusen to try and build stability in his career following a bad ACL injury, but now the 21-year old must look at the careers of former German wonderkids Mario Götze and Kai Havertz to ensure his next club is the one that will help continue his rise to one of Europe’s best players.

Staying at Bayer Leverkusen might be the best thing for Florian Wirtz's future

The obvious choice for a young wunderkind destined to be amongst Europe’s elite is to join a squad full of them. Bayern Munich have long-established a reputation of poaching smaller Bundesliga clubs’ younger players and stifling the selling teams’ progress to challenge them at the top. In the past, this plan has not worked out for the players who jump at the chance to lift the Bundesliga title. The likes of Niklas Süle, Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry, Alexander Nübel, and the aforementioned Mario Götze have all gone on to win Bundesliga titles and some even the Champions League at Bayern Munich.

However, none of them would truly live up to the incredibly high potential given to them as young players at their previous club. While this should raise some red flags for Wirtz, he might take solace in the fact that Bayern look to be rebuilding and shedding some of their longest-tenured players. Thomas Müller’s departure has already been confirmed and Bayern could even look to sell one of Serge Gnaby, Leroy Sané, or Kinglsey Coman, instantly opening an attacking position for Wirtz’s arrival. In addition, partnering up with fellow German star Jamal Musiala would be monumental for the development of German football, who are looking to harness their next generation of players under Julian Nagelsmann. 

If this were five years ago, there would certainly be more than enough warnings about making the jump to the big, bad, Bayern Munich. But this is not the same conservative side that have held onto their established stars and not paid as much attention to the development of their young talent. This is a new Bayern Munich, with a coach and development team more in-tuned to their future, and joining Musiala at Bayern could propel the duo to the heights laid out in front of them as the world's most promising young stars.

Much like Bayern Munich, it's surprising to see a big European force as a genuinely good option for Wirtz’s development, and not just a savvy coup to flex their wealth. City, like Bayern, are going through a bit of a reset in the midst of a disappointing campaign where they will have to stomach an early Champions League exit and the failure to retain their Premier League title. And like Bayern again, their stars of the past are now leaving to make way for the next generation.

With Kevin De Bruyne’s exit pushed by the club themselves, Guardiola’s City seem to be looking for the next crop of midfielders to help propel to the headmasters’ seat of Europe’s dinner table. Wirtz would fit into this re-tooled City squad like a glove, with his positional versatility perfect for Guardiola’s tactical plans.

The Spaniard has often used the likes of Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, and even De Bruyne as both midfielders and wingers from game to game, and Wirtz is easily capable of this. In addition, being able to play multiple roles at once will avoid a struggle for minutes against City’s young attackers like Jeremy Doku and Savinho, who are both limited to just being capable on the wings.

In fact, this will help Wirtz not only have a clearer chance in the first team, but the two wingers sensational ball-carrying ability will help take the pressure off Wirtz in the final third. Savinho and Doku rank first and second in On-Ball Value in the Premier League according to StatsBomb. This not only proves their role as pure wingers that won't take minutes away from Wirtz in the midfield, but will continue the connection that Wirtz has built with fast touchline wingers at Leverkusen with Frimpong and Grimaldo.

Going back to the central midfield, there appears to be more turnover in the squad outside of De Bruyne, as Ilkay Gundogan, Mateo Kovacic, and Bernardo Silva are getting on in age and are beginning to struggle with Guardiola’s high-pressing desires. Luckily, Wirtz has the experience and reputation to headline the midfield contingent, not be a part of a group of young midfielders such as James McAtee, Finlay Gorman and Claudio Echeverri who will battle it out for minutes throughout the course of the season.

Comparisons can be made to City’s acquisition of Bernardo Silva from the Monaco team of 2016-17, both were very highly-rated attacking talents who joined their current clubs in their early teenage years and can now find a position alongside a growing group of like-minded talents working under one of the world’s best ever coaches in Guardiola. 

On face value, Newcastle seem like the type of team to be in the Monaco category, having a squad full of players the big clubs circle around like sharks in the water. Of course, with the impressive play of Alexander Isak, Bruno Guimarães, Sven Botman, and others, the rumors of their exits from Tyneside have already started.

But Newcastle could make a massive statement of their project by not only keeping their stars, but beating out Europe’s elite to the signing of another one. They wouldn’t have to sell any of their big assets to fund a move for Wirtz, as they aren’t short of money since the billion-dollar takeover from Saudi ownership, so Wirtz would be the catalyst to propel Newcastle as one of the big players in the Premier League. The Carabao Cup champions have already made similar moves in the past that would suggest this one isn’t completely unrealistic.

Bruno Guimarães was signed from Lyon from under the noses of Manchester United and PSG on deadline day, and Sandro Tonali made the stunning move to Newcastle for an eye-watering 70 million euros. Tactically, this is arguably the best fit available, where Tonali and Guimares excel at is ball progression, with Guimarães ranking 10th in all of Europe for Progressive Passess Forward, but the final pass is what is currently lacking in the midfield. Sure, Isak is one of the world’s best at creating his own shot and creating for others, but because of this his attacking volume suffers, only taking 3.15 shots per game.

Wirtz’s impressive 0.91 Goal-Creating Actions per 90, which ranks sixth in Europe, would not only improve Newcastle’s attacking play, but wouldn’t get in the way of Isak’s style of play due to the German’s ability to slot into multiple roles. As you can see, Wirtz is able to move to any part of the final third to receive passes, not just in the centre of the pitch where Isak tends to drop deep. 

Ultimately, Wirtz would be welcomed by almost every side in Europe, but picking the right team that will not only give him minutes, but creative freedom and attacking support is what is truly important for any young prospect. Finding the right project that will give him this is what will ensure that Florian Wirtz’s rise to the top of world football is in the right hands.