logo
Liverpool handed one-off chance to disprove transfer market's biggest myth

Liverpool handed one-off chance to disprove transfer market's biggest myth

Daily Mirror20-07-2025
If Arne Slot can add Hugo Ekitike to his squad, Liverpool's spend on Bundesliga players this summer will total £233m and fans will be quick to point out that it is a risky strategy
Liverpool have already broken from their long-held recruitment strategy in seismic fashion. Now they have an opportunity to disprove or embellish one of the transfer market's great myths as Arne Slot's team jet off on their pre-season tour of Asia.

With Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong already in the door from Bayer Leverkusen, a reported £87m offer for Eintracht Frankfurt goalscorer Hugo Ekitike could see their spend on players who spent last season in Germany total an eye-watering £233m.

And that, predictably, has fired up talk of the Bundesliga Tax. Yet again.

Anfield regulars will already know quite a bit about that theory and at Stamford Bridge it became known as the more alliterative Timo Tax following Werner's travails.
A quick scroll through the full list of arrivals and the expensive flops are quick to jump off the page. Jadon Sancho, Mahmoud Dahoud, Niclas Fullkrug, Orel Mangala, Marcel Sabitzer. You get the idea.
Various analytical minds have produced fascinating data spreadsheets in recent seasons, arguing that the gap in quality between the leagues is between 12 and 17 per cent.

That suggests fees should be inflated and deflated accordingly and makes it inevitable that
Except the reality, as ever, is a bit more nuanced. And Liverpool in particular have signed well from the Bundesliga in recent years with more success stories than flops.
Since the start of this decade Liverpool have signed eight players from the Bundesliga, including Wirtz and Frimpong. Four of the other six played a major role in last season's title win - while the other two, Thiago Alcantara and Ozan Kabak, are no longer at the club.

It would be remiss to ignore that Manchester City have also done rather well with deals for Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, Omar Marmoush, Leroy Sane.
But the problem in 2025's era of more and more desperate social media hyperbole is that for Wirtz, Frimpong and, more likely than not, Ekitike, the pressure will be immediate.

A slow start and the comparisons and catcalls will come. Liverpool's recruitment department will be chastised for overpaying on Bundesliga talent when everyone knows the majority can't hack the intensity of English football.
The players will be told by anonymous accounts on X and Instagram that they should head back to the Ruhr or Bavaria.
Do well and the Bundesliga Tax argument will, hopefully, fall away quietly.
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.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Luis Diaz set for 75m euro move to Bayern Munich as Liverpool accept latest bid
Luis Diaz set for 75m euro move to Bayern Munich as Liverpool accept latest bid

Powys County Times

timean hour ago

  • Powys County Times

Luis Diaz set for 75m euro move to Bayern Munich as Liverpool accept latest bid

Liverpool have agreed a 75 million euro deal with Bayern Munich for Reds forward Luis Diaz, the PA news agency understands. The agreement comes after the Bundesliga champions were understood to have reopened dialogue regarding a move after having an initial offer of 67.5 million euros (£59m) dismissed last week. Liverpool are currently on their pre-season tour in Asia and Diaz was still with the team when they arrived in Tokyo on Sunday, but now has permission to leave. The 28-year-old has two years left on his original contract and it is understood the Reds accepted the bid for what they consider to be his market value. Diaz joined Liverpool in January 2022 and made 50 appearances in all competitions last season – scoring 17 goals – as he helped the team clinch the Premier League title. His time on Merseyside also saw him lift the FA Cup and two Carabao Cups. Diaz was left out of Liverpool's 4-2 friendly defeat by AC Milan in Hong Kong on Saturday as speculation surrounding his future continued to mount. Speaking post-match, head coach Arne Slot said: 'In Lucho's (Diaz's) situation, there's a lot of rumours around him lately and I cannot go into that. 'He's training really well with us but we have decided for now not to play him yet. 'I'm used to talking to most of my players on a regular basis. I cannot comment much more about that.' Liverpool have been busy in the transfer window so far and have bolstered their attacking options with Florian Wirtz – who made his first start as a false nine on Saturday – and Hugo Ekitike joining the club. There have also been further arrivals on Merseyside, with Jeremie Frimpong, left-back Milos Kerkez and goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili all signing and the trio played in the second half of Saturday's friendly.

Luis Diaz set for 75m euro move to Bayern Munich as Liverpool accept latest bid
Luis Diaz set for 75m euro move to Bayern Munich as Liverpool accept latest bid

North Wales Chronicle

timean hour ago

  • North Wales Chronicle

Luis Diaz set for 75m euro move to Bayern Munich as Liverpool accept latest bid

The agreement comes after the Bundesliga champions were understood to have reopened dialogue regarding a move after having an initial offer of 67.5 million euros (£59m) dismissed last week. Liverpool are currently on their pre-season tour in Asia and Diaz was still with the team when they arrived in Tokyo on Sunday, but now has permission to leave. The 28-year-old has two years left on his original contract and it is understood the Reds accepted the bid for what they consider to be his market value. Diaz joined Liverpool in January 2022 and made 50 appearances in all competitions last season – scoring 17 goals – as he helped the team clinch the Premier League title. His time on Merseyside also saw him lift the FA Cup and two Carabao Cups. Diaz was left out of Liverpool's 4-2 friendly defeat by AC Milan in Hong Kong on Saturday as speculation surrounding his future continued to mount. Speaking post-match, head coach Arne Slot said: 'In Lucho's (Diaz's) situation, there's a lot of rumours around him lately and I cannot go into that. 'He's training really well with us but we have decided for now not to play him yet. 'I'm used to talking to most of my players on a regular basis. I cannot comment much more about that.' Liverpool have been busy in the transfer window so far and have bolstered their attacking options with Florian Wirtz – who made his first start as a false nine on Saturday – and Hugo Ekitike joining the club. There have also been further arrivals on Merseyside, with Jeremie Frimpong, left-back Milos Kerkez and goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili all signing and the trio played in the second half of Saturday's friendly.

Newcastle braced for Liverpool offer for Alexander Isak as Bayern Munich's Luis Diaz breakthrough paves way for fresh approach - with Eddie Howe making telling admission on star striker's future
Newcastle braced for Liverpool offer for Alexander Isak as Bayern Munich's Luis Diaz breakthrough paves way for fresh approach - with Eddie Howe making telling admission on star striker's future

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

Newcastle braced for Liverpool offer for Alexander Isak as Bayern Munich's Luis Diaz breakthrough paves way for fresh approach - with Eddie Howe making telling admission on star striker's future

Newcastle are braced for a formal offer from Liverpool for Alexander Isak this week after Eddie Howe revealed there is no chance of their want-away striker joining the squad here in the Far East. The 25-year-old is on Tyneside after ruling himself out of the club's pre-season tour with a thigh injury. Subsequent scans were thought to be clear but he will remain at home. Isak wants to join Liverpool and, with the Premier League champions set to bank £65million from the sale of Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich, an official approach is now expected. That will leave Newcastle's owners with a decision to make, as Howe admitted this weekend. They must choose between negotiating and extracting maximum value for the player, or refuse all offers and tell Isak he is staying. Even within the camp here in Singapore, opinion is split as to which approach is best for the club. The message from above remains that they want to keep their best players, but Isak making it clear he wants to go could force the owners into making a business decision, especially if Liverpool's offer approaches £150million. After confirming to Mail Sport that Isak will not be joining the team in South Korea during the next seven days, Howe addressed the issue of his players being distracted by the situation. 'It's business as usual for the players,' said the Newcastle boss. 'Naturally we're going to miss a player of Alex's quality and the group are going to feel that. 'There's no denying that. I can't sit here and claim that they won't. But they're a very a professional group of players and they're doing brilliantly as far as I can see in terms of managing the situation.' Newcastle remain in talks for Brentford's Yoane Wissa, while RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko, Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins and Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson are also on the shortlist. Howe, speaking after Sunday's 3-2 defeat by Arsenal, added: 'We're not deluded. 'We know we need to bring players in. We've known that for a long time. We did a lot of work (at the end of last season), we knew what we wanted. But it's been a challenging transfer window. Let's see what we can do.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store