Bayer Leverkusen boss revels in Bayern Munich's failure to land Florian Wirtz
Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro really could not hide his excitement about Bayern Munich's failure to land Florian Wirtz. When asked if he was happy that Wirtz joined Liverpool instead of Bayern Munich, Carro could not wait to give a response.
'Honestly, yes. I have a different opinion than Hans-Joachim Watzke. I don't understand why, as the boss of Borussia Dortmund, he would have been happy if Wirtz had gone to Munich. Bayern would then have been even stronger. I want an exciting Bundesliga. I'm happy if more clubs—besides us—make life difficult for Bayern, because I believe the Bundesliga benefits from that,' Carro told Welt am Sonntag (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). 'When Florian and his parents told us they chose Liverpool, we weren't sad under the circumstances. It's no secret that we preferred a transfer abroad.
When asked whether or not Bayern Munich made an offer to Bayern Leverkusen, Carro was happy to detail how he shot down the Bavarians.
'Yes, in spring. Jan-Christian Dreesen contacted me. He told me that he and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge wanted to talk to us about Florian Wirtz. I said: We have no interest in selling our best player to Munich. Then there were no more concrete talks. Bayern were apparently convinced that Florian would choose them. I told them: We have other information,' Carro noted.
Yeah, there is bad blood.
The careers of Liverpool FC's Luis Diaz and Bayern Munich board member for sport Max Eberl could end up intertwined if the transfer move goes through. Meanwhile, is the rest of the Bundesliga sick of being bullied by Bayern Munich and is the league bleeding too much talent? Also, Paul Wanner and Lennart Karl could be in line for opportunities during the preseason...can the youngster take advantage of those chances? Finally, the father of Florian Wirtz talks through how the decision to join Liverpool played out and you can hear how HBO screwed BPW this week. You can get all of that on the latest edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show! The podcast is available on Patreon, Acast, Spotify, any leading podcast distributor, or below:
Also, be sure to stay tuned to Bavarian Podcast Works for all of your up to date coverage on Bayern Munich and Germany. Check us out on Patreon and follow us on Twitter @BavarianFBWorks, @BavarianPodcast @TheBarrelBlog, @BFWCyler, @2012nonexistent, @TommyAdams71 and more.
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New York Times
18 minutes ago
- New York Times
Luis Diaz heads for Anfield exit: What it means for his legacy and Liverpool's transfer plans
When Luis Diaz's then girlfriend Gera Ponce posted a tribute to Liverpool supporters on social media at the end of last season, it felt like a goodbye. The words were accompanied by photographs and videos of them celebrating in front of the Kop with their young daughters Roma and Charlotte following the Premier League trophy lift in May. Diaz had the Colombian flag wrapped around his waist as his song boomed around Anfield. Advertisement 'From the first day we arrived, we felt first hand what it means to be a part of this club,' she wrote. 'What you have made my boyfriend and our entire family feel is something we carry in our souls. Thank-you for so much love, for so much dedication and for making us feel at home. This is a real bond, deep and strong, that reaffirms that we'll never walk alone.' Two months on, that farewell has been confirmed with Diaz set to complete a €75 million (£65.6m; $88.1m) move to Bayern Munich. It brings the curtain down on a three-and-a-half-year Anfield career which yielded 41 goals in 148 appearances. His impact was instant following his arrival from Porto in January 2022. With his ability to bamboozle defenders, he created a goal for Takumi Minamino just 10 minutes into his debut against Cardiff City. Jurgen Klopp said he had never met a player who smiled so much in training. With Sadio Mane moved into the centre to accommodate Diaz on the left, he quickly became a fans' favourite. They loved his direct approach with the ball at his feet and his tenacity out of possession. Diaz, who was affectionately known as Lucho by team-mates and staff, started all three finals in 2021-22 as Liverpool won a domestic cup double but suffered an agonising defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League showpiece in Paris and finished a point behind Manchester City in the Premier League. 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Yahoo
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