More than 1,300 soldiers took part in the ceremony at Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall. The event has marked the official birthday of the UK monarch on the second Saturday of June for more than 260 years. The King previously said he was "desperately shocked" at the aviation disaster that claimed the lives of 270 people, including more than 50 British nationals. The 76-year-old King will lead the nation in a minute's silence, with black armbands worn by senior royals, including the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and the Duke of Edinburgh. The Queen, the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Edinburgh were among the royal party watching the event with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. The Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, and his wife, Victoria watched the event, as did singer-songwriter Matt Goss, who rose to fame in the mid-1980s. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said the King requested amendments to the Trooping the Colour programme "as a mark of respect for the lives lost, the families in mourning and all the communities affected by this awful tragedy". In 2017, Trooping was held a few days after the Grenfell Tower blaze and the loss of life was marked by a minute's silence, a decision taken by Queen Elizabeth II. Away from performing ceremonial duties, the soldiers taking part in the military display are fighting soldiers. The stands around Horse Guards Parade were filled with around 8,000 wives, girlfriends and the parents of the guardsmen and officers on parade. The colour, or regimental flag, trooped this year was the King's Colour of Number 7 Company, Coldstream Guards, a prestigious regiment known as the sovereign's bodyguard. It celebrates its 375th anniversary this year. The day ended with the royal family gathering on Buckingham Palace's balcony for the gun salutes in Green Park and the traditional RAF flypast. Led by the Red Arrows, this year for the first time, the flypast used more sustainable aviation fuels for its tricolour smoke trails in red, white and blue. The thousands-strong crowd cheered "Hooray" as the King waved to the crowd. The King's real birthday is on 14 November.

The former England captain receives the honour alongside The Who frontman Roger Daltrey and Oscar-winning actor Gary Oldman. Singer and actress Elaine Paige, novelist Pat Baker, and former defence secretary Penny Mordaunt have been awarded damehoods. Meanwhile, Strictly Come Dancing hosts Tess Daley and Claudia Winkleman, as well as darts stars Luke Littler and Luke Humphries, will all get MBEs. Beckham was made an OBE in 2003, but now finally becomes Sir David after being in the running for many years. He gets the honour for his services to sport and charity. Sir David was said to be close to a knighthood in 2014, but reportedly lost out after HM Customs and Revenue flagged his involvement in an alleged tax avoidance scheme. "Growing up in east London with parents and grandparents who were so patriotic and proud to be British, I never could have imagined I would receive such a truly humbling honour," he told PA news agency. "To have played for and captained my country was the greatest privilege of my career, and literally a boyhood dream come true," added the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star. Sir David, who recently turned 50, was seen chatting to the King the day before his honour was announced as part of his role as an ambassador for the monarch's foundation. He said he'd been fortunate to "represent Britain around the world and work with incredible organisations that are supporting communities in need and inspiring the next generation". Sir David added: "I'm so lucky to be able to do the work that I do and I'm grateful to be recognised for work that gives me so much fulfilment. "It will take a little while for the news to sink in but I'm immensely proud and it's such an emotional moment for me to share with my family." On the music front, The Who's singer got a knighthood at age 81. Sir Roger - known for hits such as My Generation and Pinball Wizard - led the Teenage Cancer Trust at Royal Albert Hall concert series for more than two decades. "It's kind of weird, but I am deeply honoured to get this, especially for the charity for the Teenage Cancer Trust, and I accept it on their behalf really, because this honour is really for all unsung heroes," said Sir Roger. "It's a dream come true for me, but it's especially a dream because the charity means so much." TV presenter Tess Daly called her MBE "the greatest surprise of my life". "I don't think I've come back down to earth yet," she told PA. "I didn't see it coming, and it almost didn't happen because the letter went to the wrong address. "And thank goodness someone very kind found me. And so by the time I got it, I only had, I think it was two or three days left to accept it." Her co-star on Strictly, Claudia Winkleman, said she was "incredibly grateful" to be recognised. "I will buy a hat and am taking my mum [to receive the honour]. I am ridiculously lucky and will celebrate with Tess by doing a paso doble," she said. West End legend Elaine Page - who has starred in shows such as Cats and Evita - was also honoured for services to music and charity. The singer said she was in "shock" at becoming a dame "I've got all these different emotions coming at me all at once," said the 77-year-old. I'm proud and I feel grateful and I'm thrilled and surprised, and so it's been quite a lot to take in." Dame Elaine has roles at two charities - The Children's Trust and The Dan Maskell Tennis Trust, which supports disabled tennis players. She's also presented a BBC radio show for more than 20 years. Read more:Men jailed for their roles in theft of £4.75m gold toiletPolice issue mosh pit warning ahead of Download festival More than 1,200 people from across the country were given honours in the latest list, including Sky Group chief executive Dana Strong - awarded a CBE for services to business and the media. Eleven-year-old disability campaigner Carmela Chillery-Watson is the youngest to be recognised after helping raise more than £400,000 for Muscular Dystrophy UK. The oldest is 106-year-old William Irwin, founder of the Coleraine Winemakers Club, who gets a BEM (British Empire Medal) for services to the community. However, the top accolade has been awarded to sculptor Sir Antony Gormley, the man behind the Angel of the North, who is made Companion of Honour for services to art. There can only be 65 companions at any one time. Other notable names on the list include former defence secretary Penny Mordaunt - who famously had a prominent role holding a sword at the King's coronation - and is now a dame; and former EastEnders actress Anita Dobson, who gets an OBE.

He called reports of Israel's so-called Operation Rising Lion "concerning", but stopped short of condemning it. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had targeted the "heart of Iran's nuclear enrichment programme", which he feared would eventually be aimed at Israel. Iran promised "severe punishment" for the attacks, which killed several top commanders and nuclear scientists, and launched 100 drones towards Israel in an initial response. Follow latest: Israel attacks Iran's nuclear sites In a statement on Friday, Mr Starmer urged "all parties to step back and reduce tensions urgently". He added: "Escalation serves no one in the region. Stability in the Middle East must be the priority and we are engaging partners to de-escalate. "Now is the time for restraint, calm and a return to diplomacy." The UK does not appear to have been warned in advance of Israel's plan to attack Iran. David Lammy, the foreign secretary, had been due to travel to Washington on Friday to meet his American counterpart. The trip was cancelled once it became known that Israel had launched its operation. A Whitehall source said the late cancellation of Mr Lammy's travel plans indicated the UK had not been alerted in advance to the timing of the attack. However, the UK had been aware of the increasing likelihood of an Israeli mission to strike Iran's nuclear facilities, given the rhetoric from the Israeli government in recent weeks. Mr Lammy called it a "dangerous moment" and said "stability in the Middle East is vital for global security". Speaking to Sky News this morning, British industry minister Sarah Jones also said the UK had not been involved in the Israeli military operation. It is understood British warplanes are not currently involved in helping to defend Israel's skies from any Iranian counterattacks. This could change as the situation develops. Additional forces could well be sent to a key Royal Air Force base in Cyprus, where Typhoon jets are stationed. The deployment of reinforcements to RAF Akrotiri has happened in the past during times of crisis in the Middle East. The US also said it had not been involved in Israel's attack on Iran, and warned against any retaliation targeting American interests or personnel. US President Donald Trump had previously urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to attack Iran while Washington negotiates a nuclear deal with the country. In his first public comment about the attacks, he again urged Iran to reach a deal with Washington on its nuclear programme, warning on his Truth Social platform that Israel's attacks "will only get worse". Without saying whether he was privy to specific Israeli plans, the US president said "there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end". Read more from Sky News:Charges over Ballymena riotsMPs to vote again on assisted dying - will it pass?Everything we know about the Air India plane crash But China, Saudi Arabia and Russia condemned Israel's strikes, while Japan called the use of military force "deeply regrettable". Russia's foreign ministry called the attack "unprovoked" and "categorically unacceptable" and said it was in breach of the United Nations charter. Spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry Lin Jian said: "China opposes the violation of Iran's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, opposes the intensification of contradictions, the expansion of conflicts, and the suddenrise in temperature of the regional situation." Takeshi Iwaya, Japan's foreign minister, said: "Amid ongoing diplomatic efforts, including talks between the United States and Iran, to achieve a peaceful resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue, the use of military force is deeply regrettable."

The Dane has signed a contract until 2028 and leaves Brentford after seven impressive years in charge to succeed Ange Postecoglou. Spurs sacked the Australian despite winning the Europa League to end the club's 17-year trophy drought. Flexible Frank can add layers to Angeball - but Spurs move a gambleTransfer Centre LIVE! | Tottenham news & transfers⚪Sky Sports to show 215 live PL games from next season Tottenham said: "In Thomas we are appointing one of the most progressive and innovative head coaches within the game. He has a proven track record in player and squad development and we look forward to him leading the team as we prepare for the season ahead." Frank will be joined from Brentford by assistant coach Justin Cochrane, head of performance and assistant coach Chris Haslam and analyst Joe Newton, with Andreas Georgson arriving from Manchester United as an assistant coach. Frank takes over a side that endured its worst-ever Premier League campaign last season as Tottenham finished 17th after suffering 22 defeats to record just 38 points. But despite their domestic woes, Spurs will be competing in next season's Champions League after Europa League glory, meaning Frank will manage in Europe for the first time in his career. The 51-year-old can also win the first major silverware of his career in his first competitive game in charge of the north London club, with Spurs taking on Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup on August 13 in Udine, Italy. Frank's appointment comes nearly a week after the dismissal of Postecoglou, which was "one of the toughest decisions" the Spurs board had to make after the ex-Celtic boss had won the club's first European trophy in 41 years. Frank was the Spurs board members' number one managerial target to succeed Postecoglou, with no second or third-choice options. The ex-Brondby boss took over at Brentford in 2018, earning Premier League promotion three years later with Championship play-off final victory at Wembley and has established the Bees as a top-flight club despite their small budget. Frank departs Brentford to become the fifth permanent manager in six years appointed by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy since Mauricio Pochettino left in 2019. Frank: I have left a big piece of my heart at Brentford Frank said an emotional farewell to Brentford by penning a letter to supporters and thanking the club for giving him a chance "to pursue his dreams". He wrote: "The time has come for me to move on. But, even as I leave, I know I have left a big piece of my heart at Brentford, not just at the football club but with the community and, of course, the incredible and loyal supporters. "I want to extend my profound gratitude to the club for giving me the chance to pursue my dreams and for everyone involved who made the journey such a memorable one. "For my family and I, it has been a privilege to be allowed to be part of such a special community - it's an experience and adventure that we will cherish for life. So, thank you. "Whatever we have achieved, we have achieved together, and our success is built on unity, spirit, courage and ambition at every level of the club and amongst the fans. "Everybody has contributed, and every contribution has been invaluable. I am not just leaving a football club, I am saying goodbye to friends whose support through good and bad times I will carry with me always. "I would like to say a special word of thanks to Matthew Benham. His trust and friendship have meant so much and the fact he gave me a chance in English football means I will always owe him a debt of gratitude. Thank you, Matt. "So, while this is a goodbye, I hope the relationships I have built with everybody will be lasting ones and, of course, we will meet again in the wonderful world of football. "Thank you." 'We will never forget Thomas' Brentford director of football Phil Giles paid tribute to Frank, saying: "It has been a pleasure working alongside Thomas. "From the moment he replaced Dean Smith, he understood what we were trying to build and his wisdom, coaching ability and emotional intelligence have helped transform the club. "There have been so many special moments with Thomas and nobody will ever forget the day at Wembley for the play-off final or that emotional first Premier League game against Arsenal. "But it's not just what you see on the pitch. He forged a special connection with our fans, helped develop and improve players, and was instrumental in implementing the culture that has seen Brentford go from strength to strength. "However, just as when a player leaves, it provides an opportunity for someone else to come in and make their own impact. "We will never forget Thomas, but now it is time to thank him and take the next steps in our journey with a new leader who we believe can be just as successful and influential." Frank reunites with Spurs chief Lange Frank's switch sees him reunite with Tottenham technical director Johan Lange after the pair worked together in Denmark at Lyngby, and they have known each other for many years. Frank was in the mix for the Aston Villa job while Lange was sporting director at Villa Park. Data forms a huge part of the work Lange does at Spurs in terms of recruitment, and the data on Frank is understood to be strong. He has had Brentford performing way above their budget and resources in each of the seasons they have been in the Premier League. Since guiding the Bees to top-flight promotion in 2021, Frank has overseen finishes of 13th, ninth, 16th and 10th in their four Premier League seasons. After they recovered key players from injury last season, Brentford surged up the table and almost finished in a European spot as they ended 10th, seven places and 18 points above Spurs. Could Semenyo or Mbeumo become Frank's first signing? Before Frank's appointment, Sky Sports News reported Tottenham had stepped up their interest in Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo. Manchester United also remain admirers of the 25-year-old despite having a bid rejected for Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo - a player also on the list at Spurs. Sky Sports News understands Frank would be keen to sign Mbeumo - but it is ultimately Spurs as a club that decide which players to sign. Levy and Lange call the recruitment shots, with the returning Fabio Paratici also having a say, so Frank's arrival does not necessarily make a move for Mbeumo inevitable. In fact, Sky Sports News understands Spurs have recently done more work on Semenyo. Flexible Frank can add layers to Angeball - but Spurs move a gamble Sky Sports' Sam Blitz: When you sit down with Thomas Frank for a one-on-one chat or in a press conference, you always get honesty and insight rarely seen in the game. For this journalist, the most recent meeting with the Dane was no different. It was late April for what turned out to be Frank's final one-on-one chat with Sky Sports as Brentford's head coach. Given that context, there was one line that stood out. "We've got patience at Brentford, which is a word that you probably can't say in football. I think you need to have it," Frank said. Frank's appreciation of patience makes his move to Tottenham a career gamble. He arrives at a club where Postecoglou's shadow, success and popularity loom large in the fanbase. Frank also enters a Spurs dressing room where players went public in their support for his predecessor. "Him continuing would be good for the dressing room," said Pedro Porro about Postecoglou, while James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray all backed the Australian for a third season. It begs the question: what do Spurs see in Frank - who has no experience managing Champions League football - that the popular Postecoglou could not deliver? Read more about Frank's philosophy and why his move is a risk here. Lyngby boys: Frank and Lange reunite Sky Sports' Adam Bate: Frank and Lange have come a long way since the two men used to share a small office together back when they were part of the coaching set-up at Danish club Lyngby. Speaking to Birgir Jorgensen in 2021, the man who hired them both over two decades ago revealed that these are two very different Danes. But the charismatic Frank and the analytical Lange also shared qualities. "Good people," Jorgensen told Sky Sports. "Thomas is Thomas, he walks the talk. He has always been the same and will always be the same. He is very hardworking and always in a good mood. Johan is the opposite of Thomas, he keeps his cards close to his chest. But he is a fantastic guy, very smart." Together in that office at Lyngby, ideas were shared and an unlikely coaching school developed, one that included future Denmark boss Kasper Hjulmand. What exactly was it about Frank and Lange, about Lyngby, that has helped them all to flourish? "I think we all have a common thing, we all believe in ourselves, we all know where we are coming from and none of us think we are something we are not. That is what has made us successful, good people who are working hard, being themselves. "Lyngby is just an ordinary football club but we have a special environment. We are built on curious coaching. You can experiment here. Of course, we try to win our games and be champions. But we are always collecting good people, hard-working people. "A lot of clubs believe only in serious people but you need a bit of yourself, a bit of social life. A football club is about teamwork, otherwise it cannot exist. That is why so many former Lyngby coaches are successful. We are happy about it and want it to continue."

Two 14-year-old boys were arrested and charged after the incident, and police said the pair used a Romanian interpreter to plead not guilty in court. After that, calls for "peaceful protest" from the victim's father were amplified online. Those protests took on an anti-immigration angle and erupted into riots and clashes with police. Analysis of social media messaging has shown there were already rising tensions in the town before the incident, following a decade of rapid demographic change. The unrest spread on Friday night, with petrol bombs thrown in the town of Portadown and reports of damage to public property in the Tullyally area of Londonderry/Derry. Before the protests On 30 May, eight days before the 7 June incident in the Clonavon Terrace area that triggered this week's violence, police released a statement regarding claims of a different sexual assault in Ballymena, this time of a 13-year-old girl. The offence was alleged to have taken place on a public footpath near the Ballykeel housing estates, during daylight hours on Saturday 24 May. Local media at the time reported the suspect as having "dark-coloured skin, dark brown eyes, and speaking in a foreign language". On 31 May, a far-right news aggregator on messaging platform Telegram was already sharing information related to this incident, saying "Ballymena said to be at boiling point". But the online chatter remained relatively contained until after the police announcement on the evening of Sunday 8 June, that they had arrested the two 14-year-olds charged with the Clonavon Terrace incident. Analysis of posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, shows there were 114 mentions of Ballymena per day from 3-7 June. It was mentioned 142 times on 8 June, then surged up to 10,300 on 9 June and 78,300 the following day. The majority of posts originated outside of Northern Ireland. Rapid demographic change The descriptions of the alleged perpetrators of the two incidents have contributed to the anti-immigrant sentiment of the violence. Sky News has seen Union flags and signs saying "British household" or "Locals live here" left outside homes of people keen to avoid being targeted, and has also spoken to Bulgarian nationals in Ballymena who say that they are "terrified" and "scared to get out of the house". Speaking in the House of Commons, Jim Allister, MP for North Antrim, which includes Ballymena, said he was "appalled" by the violence. "However," he said, "the government must be aware of underlying tensions produced by uncontrolled and often undocumented immigration." "None of that excuses violence, but it is a matter of concern to many," he added. Analysis of census data shows there has been rapid demographic change in the town since 2011. No other part of Northern Ireland has seen a bigger increase in people who don't speak English/Irish as a first language. At the time of the 2021 census, three in 10 residents of central Ballymena said their first language was something other than English or Irish. One in eight listed Romanian, with a similar number listing other Eastern European languages like Bulgarian, Polish and Slovak. That figure is almost seven times higher than the average across Northern Ireland, and amounts to a trebling over the course of the decade. Almost three-quarters of the total foreign-born population of central Ballymena arrived in the country since 2011. The average is significantly lower for Northern Ireland as a whole, and England and Wales, where the rate of change has been more gradual. Of 621 primary schools in Northern Ireland where data is available, Ballymena Primary and Harryville Primary, both in central Ballymena, had the 7th and 8th highest share of "newcomer pupils". "Newcomer" is the term used by the Northern Irish Department for Education to refer to pupils who don't have satisfactory language skills to participate fully in the school curriculum. How, and when, will the violence end? Sky's Connor Gillies, who has been in Ballymena reporting on the violence and talking to locals for the past few days, said on Wednesday that "the talk here is that this unrest is only just beginning", adding that "it could go on for weeks". Meanwhile, locals have expressed they don't like the talk from police and politicians that taking to the streets following the alleged sexual attack on 7 June equates to them being "racist thugs". Police have responded to rioters' petrol bombs and bricks with rubber bullets and water cannon onslaughts of their own. There have been tens of arrests, as well as injuries to more than 50 police officers since Monday evening. Violence and disorder erupted in Ballymena on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, appearing to have largely abated in the town by Thursday. However, the unrest has spread to other areas including Larne, Coleraine, Portadown and Belfast. A senior police officer insisted to Sky News that he did have "a grip" on the unravelling situation when questioned by Sky News, but officers from Scotland, Wales and England have been sent to bolster the forces of their Northern Irish colleagues. Anti-migrant rhetoric From 7-12 June, 39,000 Ballymena-related posts on X mentioned "migrants", with around 95% of them deemed to be negative by social media analysis tool Talkwalker. Well-known far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who thanked X-owner Elon Musk for his support when he was released from prison four months early on 27 May, was the most influential poster. His 14 X posts about Ballymena between 7-12 June reached an average of 1.3 million accounts each. The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling, we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.

The YouTuber and musician, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, appeared before Perth District Court in western Australia on Friday. The 29-year-old social media star has been on bail since October 2024 after allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel room after a gig last year in Perth. In March this year, he pleaded not guilty to three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, one of strangulation and four counts of sexual penetration without consent. Court documents filed on Friday revealed he faces two new counts of sexual penetration without consent. No plea has yet been entered for these charges. His case is due to be heard at a 10-day trial starting on 20 July 2026. During his initial court hearing in October, Barrientos was granted bail with strict conditions and a personal undertaking of 100,000 Australian dollars (£52,000), as well as a surety of the same amount. Read more from Sky News:Israel attacks IranBlack box recovered after Air India crash According to court documents, he pleaded guilty to a reckless driving charge on 5 December. He had been caught driving at more than 96mph on the Roe Highway in eastern Perth on 17 November. Barrientos rose to fame as a social media personality and rapper and has appeared on several BBC shows. He is known for working with Beta Squad - a YouTube collective. He has also appeared on Soccer Aid and The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer on Channel 4.

Never more so than when I interviewed him for Sky News at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, after he took part in the closing ceremony having played a key role in London's winning bid to host the 2012 Games. Speaking about Sir Alex Ferguson in the interview, canny Sir Becks heaped praise on his old boss in our interview. But he'd been less complimentary about his old boss in a conversation with prime minister Gordon Brown, I later learned. I'd travelled to Beijing with Mr Brown, via Afghanistan, and we spent the final evening of the Games at the handover party, when Boris Johnson - then London mayor - famously spoke in his speech about "wiff waff" (table tennis) coming home. During his Beijing visit, Mr Brown had been promoting the idea of a Great Britain football team competing at the 2012 Games and there was speculation about Sir Alex being the team's coach. "Aah, Sir Alex," Becks said wistfully and apparently affectionately when I asked him about being re-united with his former Manchester United manager during the interview. "Like a father to me." Later, on the flight home to the UK, when I told Gordon Brown about the interview, the prime minister laughed. "That's funny," he said. "Why?" I asked him. He replied: "He told me 'If Sir Alex is manager, he won't pick me!'" Beckham played for Fergie at Manchester United from 1995 until 2003, when he joined Real Madrid amid claims that Ferguson disapproved of the player's showbiz lifestyle. By 2008 he was playing for LA Galaxy in the US. But despite his canny, PR-savvy answers in my interview, I saw him work the room that night in Beijing and glad-hand relentlessly. He gave every interview asked of him and turned on the charm on behalf of UK PLC to everyone present. For politicians and prime ministers, sportsmen and women like Beckham are pure gold. David Cameron was also a fan and was photographed sitting alongside Becks at the London Games. When "Goldenballs", as wife Victoria called him, retired from football a year later, a No 10 spokesman gushed: "The prime minister's view is that David Beckham has been an outstanding footballer throughout his career. "But not only that, he has been a brilliant ambassador for this country, not least if we remember all the work he did on helping us win London 2012." Read more from Sky News:Men jailed for their roles in theft of £4.75m gold toiletPolice issue mosh pit warning ahead of Download festival There was indeed a Great Britain men's football team at the Olympics, but it was coached by former England legend Stuart Pearce, not Sir Alex. And Pearce, nicknamed "psycho" for his aggressive style on the pitch, didn't pick Becks either, though he claimed he'd faced pressure from Downing Street to include him. Then in 2017, David Cameron's former spin doctor Craig Oliver claimed a senior Tory cabinet minister - thought to have been George Osborne - suggested giving Becks a peerage and appointing him sports minister in a 2013 cabinet reshuffle. That never happened either, obviously, though at least now David Beckham is also a knight - just like his "father figure" Sir Alex.

The excitement at Liverpool is palpable given they are set to lure one of the best and most sought-after young footballers in the world to Anfield for the prime years of his career as Slot looks to evolve his title-winning side next season. "He is an amazing player, one of the biggest talents and most exciting players we have in Germany right now," said Sky in Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg. Liverpool agree British-record fee to sign Florian WirtzTransfer Centre LIVE! | Liverpool news and transfers🔴Summer transfer window: Key datesNot got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW 📺Sky Sports to show 215 live PL games from next season Wirtz is set to play a key role in the side's development, with the German wunderkind's varied skillset allowing Slot to utilise him in a variety of positions going forward. Fenway Sports Group CEO of Football Michael Edwards reportedly first tried to sign Wirtz back in 2020, when he was still in FC Koln's youth setup, and despite the player suffering a torn ACL in his left knee in March 2022, has stayed in contact with his family ever since. The 22-year-old was in such high demand this summer, with Liverpool set to beat Bayern Munich and Manchester City to his signature, because he is, in essence, the complete attacking package. A generational talent that not only creates but also scores - 44 goal contributions, in fact, across the last two German top-flight campaigns, including 21 goals and a Bundesliga-high 23 assists. That was the second most of any player aged under 23 in Europe's top-five leagues in that time, behind Chelsea's Cole Palmer. Last season, for the second year in a row, Wirtz was one of only six players to reach double figures for goals and assists in the continent's big-five leagues. "He is such a talented player, playing passes with precision and tempo. He is making his team-mates better but also scoring goals himself," said Sky in Germany reporter Felix Fischer. "He is able to decide games on his own and that is a quality that will lift Liverpool another five or 10 per cent higher. They are already great but Wirtz will bring a new quality there." One of the primary reasons Wirtz is both a scorer and provider is that he is right footed but equally adept at using his left, thus allowing him to effortlessly glide past bamboozled opponents into threatening areas of the pitch - as you can see in the video above. The playmaker attempted a Bundesliga-high 313 take-ons, while only Barcelona's Lamine Yamal (231), West Ham's Mohammed Kudus (216) and Manchester City's Jeremy Doku (203) completed more than his 161 dribbles in the last two seasons in Europe's top-five leagues. As a result, Wirtz created 124 chances from open play in that period across the continent's big-five leagues, a figure bettered by only Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (150), Arsenal's Martin Odegaard (139), Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes (137) and Palmer (134). Supplementing those eye-catching solo runs is Wirtz's precision passing, with the attacking midfielder always looking for that killer through ball to open up packed opposition defences that like to sit deep - something Liverpool often have to counter. Illustrating that point, the twinkle-toed German ranked first in the Bundesliga for through balls (49) and completed lay-off passes (123) last season. Unusually for someone who primarily is a playmaker, Wirtz is also - to paraphrase former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp - a pressing monster, winning back possession 71 times in the final third last season, including 39 high turnovers - both Bundesliga highs. Even though he is just 22, the German is already an established international who has racked up almost 200 Bundesliga appearances - winning German footballer of the year awards in 2023 and 2024 and often being described as having an old head on young shoulders. It is his all-round game intelligence that means Wirtz can be deployed in a variety of roles next season, a positional flexibility that should help evolve Liverpool's game going forward and make the champions less predictable and harder to beat. Slot handing Wirtz the keys to No 10? One of the key factors in Wirtz opting to join Liverpool was reportedly Slot's vision to play him in the No 10 role next season. The duo met to discuss the move and it is a position that would undoubtedly suit his many strengths as a midfielder who loves to link the play - as shown by his 1,790 final-third passes, the second-most in the Bundesliga last season. "He is an unbelievably intelligent player who understands spaces between the lines," ex-Leverkusen assistant director Devin Ozek told Sky Sports, while Leverkusen forward Nathan Tella described his former team-mate as "a creative player who can change the game - he has so much talent, technical ability and an eye for goal, he is just a proper No 10". Meanwhile, European football expert Andy Brassell believes playing Wirtz as a No 10 will also help ease the attacking burden on Salah next season. "We have so few of these No 10s in English football," he told Sky Sports. "So it will add something totally different to Liverpool, it will take a lot of the attacking burden off Salah. "So as he gets further into his thirties, he can concentrate more on scoring goals because Wirtz is about the last pass. He has got a great change of pace, he is used to physical attention and the way Liverpool have reconstructed their midfield maybe creates a space where he can have that extra bit of freedom that Xabi Alonso granted him." If Wirtz is given license to play in the No 10 position, that could mean a deeper role for Dominik Szoboszlai, perhaps alongside No 6 Ryan Gravenberch, according to former Liverpool captain Jamie Carragher. "I have been critical of Szoboszlai, I think he does sometimes lack that creativity and Wirtz can play where Szoboszlai does [as a No 10]," he told Sky Sports. How about as a false nine? Under Alonso's expert tactical guidance during the past two-and-a-half years, the versatile Wirtz learned to occupy multiple different positions at the BayArena, one of which was a false nine. With Diogo Jota injured for much of last season and Darwin Nunez often misfiring in front of goal, Slot himself often utilised Luis Diaz in that role - to great effect, in fact, against Leverkusen in a 4-0 Champions League league-phase win at Anfield in November. Carragher agrees, saying during the Reds' 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace on the final day of last season: "Liverpool are almost playing with a false nine today in Diaz and he [Wirtz] can do that." The Liverpool manager even experimented with a 4-2-2-2 formation on occasions in the previous campaign, with Curtis Jones and Szoboszlai playing alongside each other in advanced roles, most notably opting for that system with some success in a statement 2-0 win over Man City at the Etihad Stadium in February. Could Wirtz get the nod as a left-sided forward? "Wirtz can play in a number of positions and you look at where he plays for Leverkusen, it is often from the left," said Carragher of Liverpool's new big-money signing. A quick glance at Wirtz's Bundesliga heat map from last season shows that Alonso did indeed often play him out wide as an inverted winger off the left flank. That would be an attractive option for Slot, although the Dutchman does currently have Diaz and Cody Gakpo occupying that role, albeit with reported doubts against both their futures at Anfield this summer. If left-back target Milos Kerkez does arrives from Bournemouth, though, that would allow Wirtz to operate as an inverted left-sided forward, coming inside to link up with the Reds' other midfielders, while using his incisive, penetrating passes to open up deep-lying defences as the pacy Hungary full-back overlaps on the outside. Sky Sports to show 215 live PL games from next season From next season, Sky Sports' Premier League coverage will increase from 128 matches to at least 215 games exclusively live. And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League games next season are on Sky Sports.