After Rayan Cherki’s thrilling international debut against Spain on Thursday night, Liverpool fans are already questioning their recruitment team’s choice to sign Florian Wirtz instead. After losing to the European champions 5–4 in Stuttgart, France just lost out on a spot in the Nations League final. Spain will now play Portugal in the final on Monday.
But it’s clear that Les Bleus didn’t lose easily. Cherki’s debut seemed to ignite a spectacular comeback, since the team was behind 5-1 until the 79th minute. A tense end was set up by a fantastic volley and an assist from the Lyon attacking midfielder, who is rumored to be close to joining Manchester City for a cut-priced £30 million this summer. View his highlights below:
After Trent Alexander-Arnold left, Arne Slot’s team was also active in the transfer market, adding Jeremie Frimpong to bolster their defense. Additionally, they are getting closer to agreements for Wirtz and Milos Kerkez. Although the latter is predicted to shatter the British transfer record, some supporters are beginning to question whether their Premier League rivals have actually acquired the superior attacking midfielder in light of Cherki’s inventive display.
How Liverpool Fans Reacted To Cherki’s International Debut
The Anfield faithful were left second-guessing their Florian Wirtz deal
Finding a replacement for Kevin De Bruyne—an attacking midfielder who can turn a game upside down and set the pace on his own—was one of Manchester City’s top priorities going into the summer transfer window. They lost out on Wirtz, but with Cherki’s signing, they seem to have found the solution.
Due in large part to Arne Slot’s influence on Wirtz’s choice, Liverpool supporters were ready to make fun of their rivals for not landing their top target. However, Cherki’s international debut appears to have changed the conversation, as some Anfield supporters are now wondering if the Reds are going to overspend—paying almost £100 million more—on a player who might not be much better than the one City got for a much lower price. Below are Cherki’s complete match stats:
Statistics of Rayan Cherki’s games against Spain
The number of minutes played
27
Objectives
One
Helps
One
Precise passages
18/19 (95%)
Precise crossings
2/3 (66%)
Precise long balls
3/3 (100%)
Passes for keys
3.
Large opportunities were generated
2.
Ground battles prevailed.
50%, or 2/4
One Liverpool supporter posted on X, “I don’t know, but I genuinely think Cherki is a baller.” The comment went on to say, “Honestly, this might be unpopular, but get him instead of Wirtz.” “It is true,” a second person remarked. In addition to being more than 100 million dollars less expensive, Cherki is superior to Wirtz. In the meantime, a third said:
“I do think Wirtz is better than Cherki, but for the prices both are going for, I disagree with Wirtz.”
“To be honest, these two deals are looking like the Haaland and Nunez deal,” a fourth Liverpool fan remarked. One fifth came to the conclusion, “I’ve always rated both Wirtz and Cherki,” while another said, “We paid high but got less compared to the alternative.” Weirtz is, in my opinion, the superior player overall, but my lord Lyon, I don’t give a shit about a gentleman’s agreement; you can’t let this man go for thirty meters.
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