Liverpool star makes feelings clear over Florian Wirtz impact – 'Maybe too much'
Florian Wirtz is so naturally gifted that his performances in training can be intimidating to his Liverpool team-mates, according to Milos Kerkez. Wirtz is the most expensive addition of an extremely busy summer transfer window for Liverpool and is already wowing his new employers.
Liverpool could end up smashing the British transfer record to sign Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for a fee which would rise to £116million if certain add-ons are met. The Reds have splashed the cash this summer with their spending nearly reaching £300m, with full-backs Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong and striker Hugo Ekitike the other high-profile arrivals so far.
It has therefore been an exciting summer for the defending Premier League champions, who have seen Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Trent Alexander-Arnold leave. Having caught the eye in pre-season, Wirtz will begin the 2025/26 campaign in the Charity Shield against Crystal Palace on Sunday – and Kerkez has given fans a flavour of what to expect.
'I was never nervous about joining in,' Kerkez told the Daily Mail of Liverpool's training sessions. 'I was really happy to be here and I couldn't wait to get started.
'But it was just the intensity that was different. The quality is higher and there are not many mistakes. It's the noise of the passes. The ball goes boom, boom, boom... it's different.
'And he (Wirtz) is very talented. All the guys knew it and everyone watched him in the Bundesliga. He's a special player, really technically gifted. I haven't seen that (level of quality) too much, too often.
'He does special things often, maybe too much in a session! With the ball, what he does, you don't see that in too many players. It's how he carries it, the things he does in small spaces.
'If you give him one or two metres, he's going to get you. He's really special in tight spaces. Just the vision of the passes is special. He will be a great addition to this club.'
Wirtz contributed 57 goals and 65 assists in 197 appearances for Leverkusen and will have creative freedom in Arne Slot 's side. The 22-year-old is not daunted by the expectation on his shoulders. 'I came here to play my best football and because I thought I could fit into this team,' he said recently.
'I'm really enjoying my first few weeks. I'm enjoying playing with these players. It's getting a little bit better every time and I'm happy about how it's going.
'I think I'm a player who needs freedom on the pitch, and the manager gives it to me. Of course, I have to respect the position I'm in and the players around me, but I try to give my best on the pitch and find the right places, and I have the freedom for this here.
'I will try to find the right places to be, and the right spaces to get the ball and to be dangerous and create chances. I've not played a match in the Premier League yet but I am looking forward to it and that's why I came.'
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