‘Complete surprise' — Bayern Munich shocked at losing chance to get Florian Wirtz as Liverpool boss Arne Slot might have closed the deal
According to a detailed report from Sport Bild journalists Christian Falk and Tobi Altschäffl (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), Bayern Munich was left stunned by Florian Wirtz's decision to move to Liverpool FC.
The club had met with Wirtz and his family expecting to finalize a deal, only to be told that move was not going to happen. As for what changed the playmaker's mind, Liverpool coach Arne Slot appears to have had a lot to do with the change of the heart:
A meeting had taken place earlier this week, with Florian Wirtz, Uli Hoeneß, and Max Eberl all sitting at the table. Bayern had tried everything one last time. Yesterday afternoon, Hans-Joachim Wirtz called Hoeneß and Eberl and told them that after five years at Bayer Leverkusen, his son no longer sees himself in the Bundesliga. He wanted the next step, the next challenge. Therefore, he would move to the Premier League, to Liverpool.
The decision came as a complete surprise to Bayern. There was tremendous confidence that Wirtz would move to Munich. After numerous discussions with Wirtz himself and his father, Bayern were of the opinion that the player doesn't see himself in a different league yet. They thought his plan was to continue maturing in Germany before moving abroad in a few years - that's why they were very certain and were prepared to put together the biggest transfer package in the club's history
Florian Wirtz also had long discussions with Bayern coach Vincent Kompany and Liverpool coach Arne Slot. Slot is said to have impressed Wirtz with his ideas.
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All Bayern Munich can do is dust itself off and prep for the next pursuit. The club really wanted Wirtz, but will have to move on and try to find ways to improve the squad without adding the man, who many believe is Germany's top talent at the moment.
The news that Bayern Munich had coughed up the Florian Wirtz transfer was shocking. Even more stunning was that it was Liverpool FC, who ultimately won the Germany international's heart. So...what next? Let's rehash how it all went down, why it happened, and then talk about what might on tap next for the Bavarians, who have to start their transfer dealings all over again. You can get all of that analysis on the Bavarian Podcast Works — Reaction Show. You can get the podcast on Patreon, Spotify, 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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