Florian Wirtz Reveals the Surprising Factor That Sealed His Liverpool Move
Florian Wirtz has disclosed that Liverpool successfully "persuaded" him to complete a record-breaking British transfer from Bayer Leverkusen, acknowledging that the choice to depart his homeland of Germany wasn't straightforward initially.
Last Friday evening, Wirtz established himself as the most costly acquisition ever made by a British football club, finalizing a £116 million ($156.1 million) move from Bayer Leverkusen.
Throughout recent seasons, the 22-year-old had emerged as one of the Bundesliga's most promising talents, attracting significant attention from Manchester City and Bayern Munich, alongside reported interest from Real Madrid.
Ultimately, Wirtz expressed his preference to join Liverpool, which helped steer the transfer proceedings, apparently after engaging with the club and being convinced that their vision and goals matched his own aspirations.
"I believed it was the perfect moment in my career to take the next leap forward, and naturally I wanted to move to a club that ranks among the world's top three, and in my view Liverpool was certainly one of those," Wirtz shared during a Q&A session with the club's official media.
"I simply felt I would be in the most capable hands at Liverpool. The people here truly convinced me, along with their philosophy, and everything the club presented to me was exceptional. Ultimately, it became effortless for me to feel enthusiastic about joining Liverpool."
However, while it became "effortless to feel enthusiastic" once the choice was finalized, Wirtz required some persuasion initially. The German talent explained that it was particularly conversations with Arne Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes that ultimately helped him select Liverpool.
"It certainly wasn't straightforward for me," he admitted. "Being a German player who represents the Germany national team, the decision wasn't easy. However, I believe the conversations with the manager, Richard, and everyone else were exceptional from the very beginning and continued in that manner. Each time I spoke with someone from the club, I felt like 'this is where I belong,' and eventually I became completely convinced that joining Liverpool was the right decision."
Wirtz also mentioned that he hadn't anticipated Liverpool would become his next destination, but within his family—the player is managed by his father rather than an agency—he was the first to embrace the opportunity.
"I believe I was the first member of my family who became genuinely interested in this club when they approached us or informed us of their desire to sign me," he explained. "I hadn't expected Liverpool to be my next club, but my family supported me, and I didn't need to convince them about the club or anything else."