Wirtz soon in 1st place: most valuable players without Champions League use

With Saka, Maddison & Co.

Bayer Leverkusen has caught up after the weak start to the season and is actually still aiming for qualification for the “premier class”. Last worries, top talent Florian Wirtz (19) could leave the club in the direction of a safe Champions League participant would be finally dispersed. If he stays on the Rhine, Leverkusen below the top 4 and doesn’t win the Europa League either, Wirtz would probably be the most valuable professional in football next season who hasn’t played in the Champions League yet. It is already one of the three most valuable.

“Of course every young player wants to play with the best, but he can still learn a lot of things in Leverkusen that he can’t learn from a hodgepodge of established stars,” father and adviser Hans J. Wirtz recently allayed fears of a departure in “Kicker”. of Leverkusen hope for the future. One floor down, in the Europa League, Wirtz has already played a total of 20 games in four seasons with 16 direct involvements in goals – eight goals, eight assists.

Wirtz’ record in the second highest European competition is even slightly better than that of Bukayo Saka (21) from Arsenal, who is almost two years his senior and contributed five goals and nine assists in 25 Europa League games. For the Londoner, it should remain with these performance data for the time being. Either he stays with the Gunners and plays in the Champions League next season, or he moves – then probably to a club that also qualifies. Saka is still the most valuable player in the world without playing in the elite league.

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