Florian Wirtz, the newest addition to Liverpool, has garnered significant acclaim from a respected former player and club legend.
There’s no doubt Wirtz is set to arrive at Anfield in the upcoming days, as the Reds have reportedly completed an agreement with German side Bayer Leverkusen, according to reports via Fabrizio Romano.
The German midfielder is going to be one of the most expensive signings in football history, with his transfer fee potentially reaching around €150 million with all add-ons, just behind Kylian Mbappe (€180m) and Neymar (€222m).
Arne Slot is focused on retaining the Premier League trophy and bringing European glory back to Anfield. After signing Wirtz’s Leverkusen teammate Jeremie Frimpong, he moved quickly to secure the German playmaker as well.
Slot reportedly played a crucial role in convincing the midfielder to join Liverpool ahead of Manchester City and Bayern Munich. The Dutch manager highly rates the youngster.
Wirtz has been one of Europe’s most consistent performers — only he and Mohamed Salah have managed 10+ goals and assists in each of the last two seasons across Europe’s top five leagues.
He played a key role in Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen side and helped them clinch a historic Bundesliga title in the 2023/24 season.
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Liverpool signing Florian Wirtz receives the highest praise from Xabi Alonso
The current Real Madrid boss, and Wirtz’s former coach, spoke highly of the midfielder during his final season at Leverkusen.
Alonso said: “Flo is one of the top players in the world. He is world-class. Flo has a very mature mind. The people around him, his parents, they want the best for him.”
He even compared Wirtz to one of the greatest footballers of all time — Lionel Messi: “Why is Messi so good? Because he knows how and when to play simple passes. Messi says: ‘You’re in a better position? Here, have the ball!’ It’s not always about making the most brilliant move, but the best and smartest. Florian can do that. That’s why he’s so good.”
Getting compared to Messi only happens when you’re truly at the top of your game — and as Xabi Alonso said, Wirtz has the same intelligence and sharpness in his game that makes him special, just like the Barcelona legend.
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