Latest news with #FlorianWirtz
Forbes
16 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
Wirtz Signing Proves Liverpool Is Now England's Most Attractive Club
KIRKBY, ENGLAND - JUNE 20: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Florian Wirtz is unveiled as a ... More Liverpool player after his signing at AXA Training Centre on June 20, 2025 in Kirkby, England. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images) Florian Wirtz could have joined any of Europe's biggest clubs this summer. The German playmaker was wanted by Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Real Madrid. He had his pick, but instead decided to join Liverpool in a transfer that is reportedly worth a Premier League-record $160m. Liverpool surged to the Premier League title last season, leaving rivals such as Arsenal and Manchester City in its dust. Arne Slot's team played a brand of exciting, dynamic soccer and so it's unsurprising Wirtz wants to be a part of the project at Anfield. Nonetheless, this is a transfer that confirms Liverpool's newfound status. LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MAY 25: Arne Slot, manager of Liverpool lifts the Premier League trophy with ... More his team after the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Crystal Palace FC at Anfield on May 25, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by/Getty Images For The Premier League) As things are, Liverpool is the most attractive club in the Premier League. It plays the best soccer and, as last season proves, win the most matches and trophies. To someone like Wirtz, the Anfield club is where the best players in the world want to play. The Reds can continue to build on the platform they gave themselves in Slot's first campaign in charge. 'I just thought that it was the right point in my career to make the next step,' said Wirtz. 'I wanted to get to a club that is from the top three in the world, and in my opinion Liverpool was one of them. I just saw myself in the best hands in Liverpool. I was really convinced by the people here, by the idea, and everything what the club offers me was really good. And in the end [it was]In a past era, Manchester United sat at the top of the Premier League food chain. With Sir Alex Ferguson at the helm, the best soccer players in England invariably ended up at Old Trafford. Then there was a shift in the power balance and Manchester City surpassed its rivals as the strongest and most attractive in the land. STUTTGART, GERMANY - JUNE 08: Florian Wirtz of Germany runs with a ball during the UEFA Nations ... More League 2025 third place match between Germany and France at Stuttgart Arena on June 08, 2025 in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Stefan Matzke - sampics/Getty Images) Now, that crown has been passed to Liverpool with the Merseyside outfit going from strength to strength. While Manchester City is in the midst of a squad rebuild this summer, the Premier League champions are improving from a position of strength. With Wirtz added to the team, the Reds will take some catching next season. Of course, Trent Alexander-Arnold departed Liverpool to join Real Madrid and so there might still be bigger fish than the Reds in the European soccer pond. In English soccer, though, Liverpool is setting the standard. Wirtz is one of the best players of his generation and he has chosen Anfield as the perfect stage for the next, and best, phase of his career.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Arsenal legend makes controversial claim about Liverpool £200m transfer business
Former Arsenal favourite Charlie Nicholas believes Florian Wirtz's transfer won't prove to be "a massive jump forward" for Premier League champions Liverpool. And the former Scotland international has also claimed the addition of Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth is not a huge upgrade on Andy Robertson at left-back. Advertisement The Reds confirmed the £116m addition of Wirtz last week in a deal that could become a British record if the add-ons are achieved, while the capture of Kerkez at £40m was also confirmed on Thursday. Both targets are part of what has so far been a hugely exciting transfer window so far for the Reds, who will welcome the June additions alongside £29m pair Jeremie Frimpong and Giorgi Mamardashvili to pre-season training on July 7. READ MORE: Liverpool chairman Tom Werner on Arne Slot, historic transfer spend and FSG's future Anfield plans READ MORE: Alexander Isak Liverpool transfer next step clear as fee and wages positions explained Advertisement However, Nicholas, who won the League Cup with Arsenal in 1987, scoring twice in their 2-1 Wembley win over Liverpool, remains unconvinced by the champions' summer business so far, which has cost more than £200m, telling Sky Bet: 'Liverpool have made some interesting moves so far this window. "Is Milos Kerkez going to be better than Andy Robertson? I don't think so and don't think their defence has drastically improved. "Florian Wirtz is a fantastic signing, but he may take time to settle - the buzz is mainly around the big fee paid, like when Arsenal signed Declan Rice. "Everyone at the time thought that fee was ridiculous, but he's proved to be a valuable signing. I'm sure Wirtz will be too, but I don't think it's a massive jump forward for Liverpool. Advertisement 'As for Manchester City, they've signed well, but not overwhelmingly so. They need to replace Kevin De Bruyne and get far more out of Phil Foden, and the new signings will take time to settle in. "The big thing they are waiting for is Rodri's return from injury but defensively I don't see them being much better than last season. I think the league is a three-horse race again - Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool.' Nicholas also gave his verdict on Darwin Nunez, who is the subject of interest from Napoli, adding: 'Nunez has good assets - his pace, movement, bravery - but his big disappointment has been his erratic finishing. "It's as if the pressure got too much for him. When you see Luis Diaz and Mo Salah being calm in important moments, he just never seemed to produce that. When the pressure is on you, and you're not getting in the team, and it sounds like he's had rows with Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot, asking why he's not in the team, and they would've probably said the same as me. Advertisement 'He's not handled the pressure of being a finisher for a club this well. Saying that, we're waiting on one big striker transfer in the Premier League that will set a domino effect for a lot of clubs. "I think he could still do a great job in the Premier League, but I don't think he'll be looking to stay - he should go somewhere else in Europe and re-establish himself. He needs a clean break.'
Daily Mirror
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Leverkusen fans' nickname for Wirtz speaks volumes after £116m Liverpool move
Florian Wirtz completed his move to Liverpool last week from Bayer Leverkusen and supporters of the Bundesliga giants have given an insight into what Reds fans can expect Florian Wirtz has made a blockbuster move to Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen, with the 22-year-old sealing the deal for an initial £100m rising to £116m and putting pen to paper on a long-term contract at Anfield. Wirtz always had his heart set on a switch to Anfield, leading to Liverpool securing a transfer fee below Leverkusen's £126m asking price. The compromise was struck last week, much to the delight of the Reds. Labelled as one of the most exciting talents in European football, Wirtz was hotly pursued by the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester City before opting for the Merseyside club. SPORT BILD journalist Phillip Arens shared his enthusiasm with The Times, telling Liverpool fans: "Dear Liverpool fans, congratulations for having Florian Wirtz at Anfield. You'll love him and he'll take your hearts by storm. "He is worth every single pound. Trust me. Wirtz and Liverpool will be a perfect match. I followed him as a reporter at Bayer Leverkusen from his first days when he was 16 years old in 2020.", reports the Liverpool Echo. Arens also recounted: "When the speaker at the BayArena announced the Bayer squad, the fans screamed the word 'Fussballgott' after only one player - Wirtz. Calling a player 'god of football' is a typically German way of showing love and respect." Upon finalising his transfer, Wirtz himself expressed his ambitions, stating that he didn't come to Anfield just 'to have fun', but believes it's the ideal place for him to develop and achieve success. The player stated: "I just thought that it was the right point in my career to make the next step and, of course, I wanted to get to a club that is from the top three in the world, and Liverpool was one of them. "The people say I'm a creative player and I hope I can bring this creativity to the team and also the joy on the pitch. I try to make assists, goals and run for the team and defend. I hope I can just make the team one step better." He explained that his decision to join Liverpool was influenced by the club's people, vision, and offerings, saying: "I just saw myself in the best hands in Liverpool. I was really convinced by the people here, by the idea, and everything the club offers me was really good. It was not that easy for me, for sure, because I am a German player. I play for the Germany national team." He continued, "So it was not easy for me to decide, but the talks with the coach [ Arne Slot ] and Richard [Hughes, sporting director] and everybody were, from the very first time, so good and it just kept going like this." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Liverpool stance on signing new striker emerges amid Darwin Nunez transfer offer
Liverpool has already had a hugely eventful summer, but more incoming and outgoing business is still likely. With Darwin Nunez among those who could leave, the club has developed a plan for sourcing a potential replacement. Even before any movement on the Nunez front, Liverpool has already set a new club transfer record, bringing in Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen. He followed in the wake of Jeremie Frimpong, while Milos Kerkez today became the latest confirmed signing. Advertisement That's not to mention Giorgi Mamardashvili. A deal was agreed for the Valencia goalkeeper last year, but the highly-rated Georgian will officially arrive this summer. READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news LIVE: Milos Kerkez announced, Viktor Gyokeres stance, Marc Guehi latest READ MORE: Harvey Elliott could have 5 landing spots after being urged to chase Liverpool exit Liverpool could stop there, and Richard Hughes would be able to pat himself on the back for one of the most exciting and promising transfer windows in years. But there is the possibility of further activity, especially in the event that Nunez leaves. Advertisement The 26-year-old could net Liverpool a surprisingly strong windfall, with figures as high as $96 million (£70 million) mentioned, and an offer from Napoli expected. While FSG don't need to sell in order to buy, they remain committed to a sustainable model, and those funds would therefore be available for reinvestment. Perhaps more importantly, the departure of Nunez may also leave Arne Slot feeling a little light in attack. While Nunez was a bit-part player by the end of the campaign, he featured extensively over the course of the season, and did offer a handful of important contributions. Moreover, Mohamed Salah will be absent for a spell this season, with the return of the African Cup of Nations. Hoping to compete on multiple fronts, Slot needs to make sure his attack is sufficiently deep. However, Hughes' strategy does not involve signing a direct replacement for Nunez. That's according to The Times. Advertisement The arrival of Wirtz is cited as a signing that gives Liverpool more options in attack. He was often used centrally by Xabi Alonso, particularly in big games, and that will be an option available to Slot. Florian Wirtz of Leverkusen celebrates with Jeremie Frimpong; the duo have both joined Liverpool -Credit:Jörg Schüler/Bayer 04 Leverkusen via Getty Images Additionally, the arrival of Frimpong should provide some more cover for Salah. While he is expected to primarily play at right-back, the reshuffle would be fairly simple, with Conor Bradley on hand to feature further back. Nevertheless, the report claims that Hughes and Liverpool would "naturally" be interested if the right player became available in attack. In other words, while there are no plans to sign for the sake of it, the Anfield hierarchy is not ruling out another game-changing addition. Advertisement It doesn't take a genius to read between the lines. Piecing together numerous stories, it seems likely that Alexander Isak would be of interest if it emerged that there was a genuine opportunity to sign him. Whether any other strikers are considered similarly transformative, only Hughes and a handful of others will know for sure. Hugo Ekitike is another to have been mentioned, but exactly how hot Liverpool is on him remains to be seen. Should Nunez leave without any new signings, Liverpool's attack would still look very strong: Salah, Wirtz and Luis Diaz, with Cody Gakpo in the mix too. Wirtz and Dominik Szoboszlai may even end up functioning almost like twin false nines, a strategy Slot used to great effect against Manchester City last season. So Liverpool's stance does make sense. There's no point replacing Nunez with someone who won't really offer a great deal more, when Slot already has such excellent options — but if a world-beater is on the market, it's a no-brainer to go and get him.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Liverpool's next transfer priority after Milos Kerkez takes summer spend past $250M
Liverpool has completed another transfer, confirming the long-anticipated capture of Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth. But despite the spend tipping over $250 million, the Reds may not be finished — and nor should they be, with another important priority to address next. Advertisement The bulk of the money so far has been spent on Florian Wirtz. Liverpool has always maintained that it would be prepared to spend big on a game-changer, having made a huge but unsuccessful play for Moises Caicedo in 2023, and backed that up with a package for the Leverkusen star that could rise as high as $159 million (£116 million). Other deals have not been insignificant either. Kerkez arrived today for $55 million (£40 million), while Jeremie Frimpong arrived earlier after Liverpool triggered a $41 million (£29.5 million) release clause. READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news LIVE: Milos Kerkez announced, Viktor Gyokeres stance, Marc Guehi latest READ MORE: Milos Kerkez first words after Liverpool transfer as left back agrees 5-year deal Advertisement You can even throw Giorgi Mamardashvili into the mix. Liverpool agreed the deal last year, but it will only become official this summer, for a fee of up to $40 million (£29 million). Fellow goalkeeper Armin Pecsi does not move the dial too much, at just $2 million (£1.5 million). But even that was a reasonably hefty outlay on a third-choice stopper. Liverpool's total transfer spend so far Admittedly, I've quoted all of these deals at the high end of where the fees could eventually end up, and the inclusion of Mamardashvili could be disputed. But this maximum estimate comes out at $297 million (£216 million). Advertisement Significantly, this is already Liverpool's biggest ever transfer window from a gross spend perspective, even excluding the Mamardashvili fee. So it seems remarkable that there could be a clamor for more deals. After all, this is not a team obviously in need of a major overhaul. Arne Slot just won the Premier League title at the first attempt. Even so, it's clear that Liverpool does still have at least one priority that needs to be addressed before the transfer window closes. For all the good work that has been done, Slot's team would be ill-equipped to mount a title defense without one more deal. Liverpool needs a new center-back It would be irresponsible to go into the campaign without sourcing another center-back. With Jarell Quansah on the verge of a move to Bayer Leverkusen, Liverpool is set to be whittled down to just three central defenders. Advertisement The last time it rolled those particular dice (also on the back of a title win, strangely enough), all three had suffered season-ending injuries by January. Swap out Joel Matip for Ibrahima Konate, and the personnel are the same — except that Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk are now five years older, and therefore even greater fitness concerns. Konate is not exactly famed for his resilience either. Throw in the fact that there has been no progress on extending his contract, which ends next summer, and you could easily make the case that Liverpool may even need two new center-backs. The Quansah deal looks very good on paper — Liverpool has netted a very strong fee, while also securing a reasonable buy-back option. But it is fair to wonder about the wisdom of the deal, when contemplating the profile of player the Reds will now need to target. Effectively, it needs somebody like Quansah. Comfortable in possession, aerially dominant, and early enough in their career that they can accept at least a year of tough competition for minutes, he was more or less the perfect fit for that squad role. Advertisement But if Liverpool believes it can find an upgrade on Quansah who is willing to make the move, perhaps even at a similar price point, then everything begins to come together. That might be where Marc Guehi comes into play. Marc Guehi and Joel Ward of Crystal Palace celebrate with the FA Cup. -Credit:Like Konate, he is entering the final year of his deal. Unlike Liverpool, Crystal Palace may feel unable to justify running the risk of losing him for nothing, given that it does not have the same commercial revenues on which to fall back. Getting an established England international for a fee in a similar ballpark to the one Liverpool will net for Quansah, who has just 17 Premier League starts to his name, would go down as shrewd business. The continued presence of Van Dijk and Konate might make it a tough sell to the Palace captain, but the medium-term pathway to minutes is clear-cut, and the Reds play a lot of games over the course of a season anyway. Advertisement Viable alternatives include Jorrel Hato, who has notched over 100 games for Ajax at the age of just 19. But particularly with the Quansah sale, Liverpool has ensured that it will need to buy at least one more player, taking the spend over $300 million. Liverpool must try for Alexander Isak if the chance comes Once a center-back is sourced, Liverpool could call it a day and be left with a squad more than capable of competing for the top honors. But a new number nine could elevate the team to even greater heights. With Darwin Nunez expected to depart, Slot's squad is set to lack a dedicated center-forward. Diogo Jota has mostly played there for Liverpool, and Luis Diaz completed a reasonably effective reinvention last season, but neither fit the mold of an out-and-out striker. Advertisement Nunez was a bit-part player by the end of Slot's first season, and Liverpool is therefore not wedded to replacing him directly, especially with Wirtz able to play there. That being said, a game-changer would be of interest to the club. That's potentially a euphemism for Alexander Isak, whose availability this summer it has been hard to accurately ascertain. If it becomes apparent that a deal can be done, it would not be a surprise to see Liverpool on the scene, even though that transfer could plausibly send the summer outlay spiralling in the direction of $500 million. This is a natural continuation of Liverpool's commitment to keeping its powder dry for genuine world-beaters. Arguably the standout forward in world football, Isak could set Slot up to dominate for years to come. Liverpool could end up with modest net spend It's fair to say that Liverpool's summer spend is raising eyebrows. Even Man City fans are coming out of the woodwork, delighted to be the ones dishing out the overspending criticisms for once. Advertisement But of course, that ignores crucial context. Liverpool did nothing last summer or indeed in January other than signing Federico Chiesa, ending the season in the green for net spend. The plan was always to allow Slot and Richard Hughes to take stock, ahead of a potentially big second summer. This is really three windows in one for Liverpool. Not only that, but even the single-summer net spend figure won't be as high as expected. Liverpool has lined up most of its incoming deals first, but significant outgoings are expected. Caoimhin Kelleher has already left, in a deal which could fetch Liverpool $25 million ($18 million). Trent Alexander-Arnold produced a surprising $12 million (£8.5 million) fee, while Nat Phillips generated $4 million (£3 million). Advertisement Quansah will be next. He will go for up to $47 million (£34 million). Nunez also seems like a near-certain departure. The highest quoted figure is a suprising $96 million (£70 million). Those deals alone would raise $184 million, taking Liverpool's net spend back to a far more normal-looking $113 million (£82 million). Selling Harvey Elliott, another one linked with a move, could easily cut that figure in half. Allowing for sales of fringe players like Kostas Tsimikas, Tyler Morton and perhaps Ben Doak, Liverpool could be back to net zero before any further incomings. Guehi and especially Isak would swing the pendulum again — but not to an outrageous extent, given how modestly Liverpool has spent in recent transfer windows. So while it seems unreasonable at first glance, Liverpool does need to keep pushing on beyond the $250 million mark. Not only that, it comfortably has the means to do so.
