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New York Times
21-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Florian Wirtz to Liverpool: Transfers TLDR
Liverpool have completed the signing of Florian Wirtz in a €136.3million (£116m) transfer from Bayer Leverkusen. Wirtz has signed a five-year deal with Liverpool. The transfer represents a club record fee for Liverpool and a potential British record transfer, should the add-ons be activated. As part of this summer's transfer coverage on The Athletic, in addition to breaking news, tactical analysis and in-depth reads, our Transfers TLDR series (you can read them all here) will bring you a quick guide to each of the key deals. Wirtz is one of the brightest talents to come out of Germany. The Bundesliga player of the season for Bayer Leverkusen's invincible 2023-24 campaign started out at Koln's academy in 2010, having grown up in Pulheim, a town located eight miles (13km) from the city. Wirtz spent a decade there before joining Leverkusen in 2020. He made his debut the same year, becoming the youngest Bundesliga player in history at the time. A few weeks later, he became the division's youngest ever goalscorer, too. In March 2022, he tore his anterior cruciate ligament, which meant he missed out on selection for the World Cup but he was able to represent Germany last summer at Euro 2024. He has nine siblings and is not the only footballer in the family; his sister Juliane Wirtz plays for Werder Bremen. Caoimhe O'Neill Xabi Alonso soon figured out that the key to Wirtz is no key at all, just unlock the gate and let him bolt. His never-ending work rate means he will always be looking to find space, pick up the ball on the half-turn and make something happen for himself or a team-mate. Expect crisp shots into the corner of the net as well as deft assists. He will get stuck in, but do not expect him to win every battle. Caoimhe O'Neill As a No 10, Wirtz plays the position in a highly modern way. He's energetic and hard-working, never staying still, but his attributes are still such that they are best served at the centre of a team's attacking system. At his most influential for Leverkusen, he reaches 80, 90 or 100 touches per game, so that's the level of involvement that Liverpool will have to try to replicate. Advertisement Wirtz has a tendency to drift towards the left and, when playing against a low block, will like to receive possession on that side of the penalty box — Eden Hazard used to have that habit in his prime at Chelsea — but he is a central player who is dampened any time he is pushed to the periphery. Seb Stafford-Bloor In 2022, he suffered a torn ACL, which kept him out for 10 months and resulted in him missing the World Cup in Qatar. Encouragingly, there has never been any sign of long-term damage, because he returned a far better — and stronger — player than he had been before. Wirtz's 2024-25 season was interrupted by an ankle injury, sustained after a challenge from Werder Bremen's Mitchell Weiser in March. It cost him a month on the sidelines, but — touch wood — he has been fortunate with impact injuries given how often he carries the ball. Seb Stafford-Bloor Martin Heck, Wirtz's under-17s coach at Koln, told The Athletic: 'He's just a nice guy who wants to play football. If you meet him, he's just the same funny, friendly person that I met when he was 12. He doesn't want to be special. He doesn't like publicity as much as some other players do. He's a very family-oriented guy. But he has one of those personalities that I want to see more of in professional football. He's just a good guy. 'But what's special about Florian Wirtz, is that he has the greatest ambition I've ever seen in football from a player young or old. His will to win.' Seb Stafford-Bloor Wirtz has joined Liverpool on a five-year contract, committing himself to the red half of Merseyside until June 2030. Liverpool have agreed to pay a club-record £100million (€117.5m) for the 22-year-old, with a further £16m (€18.8m) potentially due in future add-ons. The sale represents a club record for Leverkusen too, eclipsing the £72m (€80m) fee they initially received from Chelsea for Kai Havertz in 2020. That deal could have reached as high as £89m (€100m) were subsequent clauses met; the amounts guaranteed on the sale of Wirtz have already exceeded that figure. Chris Weatherspoon Wirtz's arrival at Anfield adds significantly to Liverpool's annual outgoings. Assuming agent fees on the deal of 10 per cent, plus a transfer levy of four percent (confirmed by The Athletic as applicable on all transfer deals where a Premier League club is the buying party), the signing adds £21.4m to Liverpool's transfer amortisation costs in 2025-26, then £22.7m annually until the end of the 2029-30 accounting period. Liverpool's accounting period ends on 31 May, so a further £1.9m would fall into their 2030-31 accounting period. All of this is without including any of the potential £16m in add-ons due to Leverkusen. Advertisement Alongside the huge transfer fee, Wirtz could expect to earn around £200,000 per week at Anfield. With social security costs added on top, that works out at around £12m in annual costs to Liverpool, underlining the size of this deal. Employing Wirtz will cost Liverpool £11.3m in 2025-26, £12.0m annually over the following four years and then £1.0m in the opening month of their 2030-31 accounting period. In all, the annual cost of Wirtz on Liverpool's books across transfer fees, agent fees, transfer levies and estimated wages is a little under £35m. We estimate the total cost of the transfer to Liverpool, across Wirtz's five-year contract, at £174.3m. That sum will rise higher if bonuses and fee add-ons are triggered. Leverkusen spent a reported £250,000 (€300,000) on buying Wirtz, then aged 16, from FC Koln in January 2020. That leaves Wirtz with a nominal value in their books, meaning Leverkusen will book nearly all the proceeds as profit in their 2025 financials (Leverkusen's accounts run from 1 January to 31 December). Because this is an international transfer, and Wirtz spent time at Koln after his 11th birthday, Koln are due a slice of the overall fee in the form of a solidarity payment. That is limited to five per cent of the deal, though because Wirtz left for Leverkusen before turning 17, their slice will be rather lower. We estimate that Koln are due a little under two per cent of the proceeds, or £1.8m (€2.2m). In turn, that leaves Leverkusen with a profit of around £98.2m (€115.3m). Those amounts do, however, exclude any training compensation that may be further payable to Koln. Chris Weatherspoon
Telegraph
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Meet Florian Wirtz: Not allowed a TV but he has a passion for potatoes
What kind of environment produces an elite footballer? In the case of Florian Wirtz, it was one of parental support, accessible facilities and, perhaps most importantly of all, very few distractions. As a boy in the Cologne suburb of Pulheim, he was not even allowed a television at home. Instead of sitting in their living room, Wirtz and his sister Juliane played football in it. Instead of video games, Wirtz went outside. Instead of travelling by car, the Wirtz family would often move around on bikes. 'I couldn't do anything other than be outside and get some exercise,' Wirtz told the Bundesliga Magazine last year. 'I'm very happy about that.' Liverpool will be happy about it, too. Without this upbringing, Wirtz would surely never have become the playmaker he is today. He would never have become a genuine star of the European game, and he would never have moved to Anfield in one of the biggest deals in the history of the sport: a British transfer record that could rise to £116 million. There is, of course, much more to Wirtz's story than a lack of television. It evidently helped his development as a boy, for example, that his father is the chairman of their local football club, Grün-Weiß Brauweiler. Hans-Joachim would allow Florian and Juliane (also now a professional, with Werder Bremen) to play on the pitch for hours on end. Wirtz also has a mother, Karin, who knew how to keep her son grounded. When an agency sent the teenaged Florian a gift, in an attempt to convince him to sign with them, she returned the parcel unopened. The Wirtz family saw no need for an agent. Indeed, they still represent Florian now. Wirtz has nine siblings (although eight of those are from his parents' previous relationships) and all of them would have known, from a young age, that their little brother was the most prodigious of footballing talents. This is not a tale of a player who defied expectations to reach the highest level. Wirtz was always ahead of the rest and always destined for the top. 'On my 18th birthday, my mother showed me a note from my time at primary school,' he once told Werks11 Magazin. 'We had to write down what we wanted to be. The only thing I'd written was: football player. I really did always want that and started early on to kick everything I came across: balloons, balls and anything else lying around the house.' For much of his youth, Wirtz seemed certain to become a first-team player for Cologne, the club he had joined at the age of seven. But in 2020, he made a controversial switch to fierce rivals Bayer Leverkusen. Cologne claimed the transfer broke a gentlemen's agreement that the two clubs would not recruit academy products from each other. Leverkusen simply considered Wirtz, whose contract with Cologne was expiring, to be too good a prospect to ignore. A source in Germany, who was involved in that transfer, tells Telegraph Sport: 'All the German clubs wanted Florian. They had all been in contact with his family, but the family wanted to stay in that region. That was the big reason why he didn't go to Bayern Munich.' Wirtz initially moved to Leverkusen as a 16-year-old academy player, but within a few weeks he had earned a promotion to Peter Bosz's first-team. It then took only one training session for Bosz, who has also managed Ajax, Borussia Dortmund and Lyon, to be convinced that he had a special talent on his hands. 'At 16 he didn't lose the ball once,' Bosz has since told Polish magazine Asystent Trenera. 'I watched him and I couldn't believe it. What was this? Every difficult pass, he got out of it with one touch. Wow. Mark my words, he will be the best player in the world one day. He will win the Ballon d'Or.' Wirtz made his Bundesliga debut at the age of just 17 years and 15 days, overtaking Kai Havertz as Leverkusen's youngest league player. A few weeks later, he became the youngest goalscorer in Bundesliga history. From there, he has effectively improved with each season that has passed. Looking at his trajectory, it seems the only major obstacle Wirtz has overcome was a serious knee injury he suffered in March 2022. His recovery from that ACL tear – the sort of injury that can wreck a career – has been almost as impressive as his creativity on the pitch. Over the past two seasons, Wirtz has made more than 100 appearances for club and country. In the eyes of many, he has been the best player in German football in that time: he was named Bundesliga player of the season for 2023/24 (when he helped Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen to their first ever league title), and was then voted the most impressive player in Germany by 216 fellow footballers in a poll at the end of 2024/25. What, then, makes Wirtz so good? What makes him worth so much of Liverpool's money? These are questions that can be answered with basic statistics – 34 goals and 35 assists in his last two campaigns – but also by simply watching him play. As an attacking midfielder, it's all there: the relentless running, the delicate passing, the ferocious shooting, the intelligent movement and the silky dribbling. Wirtz is one of those rare talents who play like artists with the ball but defend like animals without it. In 2024/25, he was the Bundesliga player who completed the most dribbles in the division, and also the player who won the ball the most times in the final third. This blend of offensive skill and defensive workrate makes him perfectly suited to Liverpool's system. 'Flo is now one of the top players in the world,' said Alonso last month. 'World class.' Off the pitch, Wirtz is a quiet leader and unflashy. So unflashy, in fact, that he has occasionally been mocked for it. There is a running joke in Germany – of which he is not particularly fond – that centres on a social media clip in which he revealed a passion for plain potatoes. This all stems from a video in which Wirtz was asked to rank different types of potato dishes, and he listed a plain boiled potato as his first choice (above more popular options such as chips or crisps). 'It gets to the point where it's not funny any more,' he said last year. @rasmeskalin neue torhymne? @dfb @FloWirtz #kartoffeln #remix #fussball #florianwirtz #lustig #remix #song #fußball #em2024 ♬ rasmes normale kartoffeln - rasmes Wirtz's potato preferences, it is safe to say, will not be of huge concern to Arne Slot or the Liverpool supporters. For those at Anfield, all that matters is that Wirtz demonstrates his extraordinary talent, and continues his seemingly unstoppable rise to the highest heights in the game.
Asharq Al-Awsat
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Dethroned Bundesliga Champions Leverkusen Face Uncertain Future
After conceding the Bundesliga title to Bayern Munich last weekend, Bayer Leverkusen host Borussia Dortmund on Sunday with rumored big-name exits clouding the club's immediate future. With two games remaining, Leverkusen are guaranteed to finish second, but the final home match of the season could be a farewell for coach Xabi Alonso and star midfielder Florian Wirtz. Alonso, the rookie coach who banished the 'Neverkusen' nickname by taking Leverkusen to the Bundesliga title last season, could be headed for Real Madrid, where he won the Champions League as a player, AFP said. While Alonso's departure was always on the horizon -- the Basque has often spoken of Leverkusen as the perfect place to develop -- Wirtz's exit will sting, particularly if the 22-year-old Germany regular moves to Bayern, as German media have reported this week. Born 20 minutes away in Pulheim, Wirtz was plucked from neighboring FC Cologne's academy and made his debut aged 17, taking Kai Havertz's record as Leverkusen's youngest debutant and later briefly becoming the Bundesliga's youngest goalscorer. After recovering from an ACL injury in 2022, Wirtz was instrumental in Leverkusen's league and cup double and was named Bundesliga player of the season. In an interview with Sports Illustrated published Thursday, Wirtz said "it definitely appeals to me to leave my comfort zone at some point and experience something new." The chatter around the duo's exit has obscured what has still been an excellent season at the BayArena. After last year's record-breaking campaign, where Alonso's side became the first team in Bundesliga history to go through a season unbeaten, Leverkusen were bound to come back to earth. Like Bayern, Leverkusen have lost only twice all campaign, but have been held to 11 draws -- four more than the title winners. Wins in their two remaining games will bring Leverkusen to 74 points: the second-best tally in their history and enough to win the league two seasons ago. Leverkusen's upcoming opponents Dortmund will want to make to most of the uncertainty, as they push for a Champions League spot. As low as 12th this season, Dortmund have picked up 16 points in their last six games. They sit one point and one place behind Freiburg, who travel to plucky battlers Holstein Kiel on Saturday. One to watch: Thomas Mueller Bayern Munich midfielder Thomas Mueller will play his final match at the Allianz Arena on Saturday. Regardless of the result against Borussia Moenchengladbach, Mueller will bid farewell to the home fans by lifting the Bundesliga shield -- doing so for a record 13th time. No player in Bayern's recent history has embodied the club better than the two-time Champions League winner; Bayern however declined to extend his deal. Mueller wants to play on and it will be strange to see him wearing another club's kit, for Bayern fans and neutrals alike. Former mentor Jupp Heynckes, who coached Bayern to the treble in 2012-13, told AFP subsidiary SID on Thursday the veteran should opt not to continue his career elsewhere. "If I were Thomas, I'd call time on (his career)," Heynckes said, adding Mueller was "predestined" to continue at Bayern in some kind of leadership role in the future. "Such a gem should not be ignored. Thomas is a witty man and is also very intelligent. He understands an incredible amount in football."
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dethroned Bundesliga champions Leverkusen face uncertain future
Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso (R) and midfielder Florian Wirtz could make their last home appearances in Sunday's game with Dortmund (INA FASSBENDER) After conceding the Bundesliga title to Bayern Munich last weekend, Bayer Leverkusen host Borussia Dortmund on Sunday with rumoured big-name exits clouding the club's immediate future. With two games remaining, Leverkusen are guaranteed to finish second, but the final home match of the season could be a farewell for coach Xabi Alonso and star midfielder Florian Wirtz. Advertisement Alonso, the rookie coach who banished the 'Neverkusen' nickname by taking Leverkusen to the Bundesliga title last season, could be headed for Real Madrid, where he won the Champions League as a player. While Alonso's departure was always on the horizon -- the Basque has often spoken of Leverkusen as the perfect place to develop -- Wirtz's exit will sting, particularly if the 22-year-old Germany regular moves to Bayern, as German media have reported this week. Born 20 minutes away in Pulheim, Wirtz was plucked from neighbouring FC Cologne's academy and made his debut aged 17, taking Kai Havertz's record as Leverkusen's youngest debutant and later briefly becoming the Bundesliga's youngest goalscorer. After recovering from an ACL injury in 2022, Wirtz was instrumental in Leverkusen's league and cup double and was named Bundesliga player of the season. Advertisement In an interview with Sports Illustrated published Thursday, Wirtz said "it definitely appeals to me to leave my comfort zone at some point and experience something new." The chatter around the duo's exit has obscured what has still been an excellent season at the BayArena. After last year's record-breaking campaign, where Alonso's side became the first team in Bundesliga history to go through a season unbeaten, Leverkusen were bound to come back to earth. Like Bayern, Leverkusen have lost only twice all campaign, but have been held to 11 draws -- four more than the title winners. Advertisement Wins in their two remaining games will bring Leverkusen to 74 points: the second-best tally in their history and enough to win the league two seasons ago. Leverkusen's upcoming opponents Dortmund will want to make to most of the uncertainty, as they push for a Champions League spot. As low as 12th this season, Dortmund have picked up 16 points in their last six games. They sit one point and one place behind Freiburg, who travel to plucky battlers Holstein Kiel on Saturday. One to watch: Thomas Mueller Bayern Munich midfielder Thomas Mueller will play his final match at the Allianz Arena on Saturday. Advertisement Regardless of the result against Borussia Moenchengladbach, Mueller will bid farewell to the home fans by lifting the Bundesliga shield -- doing so for a record 13th time. No player in Bayern's recent history has embodied the club better than the two-time Champions League winner; Bayern however declined to extend his deal. Mueller wants to play on and it will be strange to see him wearing another club's kit, for Bayern fans and neutrals alike. Former mentor Jupp Heynckes, who coached Bayern to the treble in 2012-13, told AFP subsidiary SID on Thursday the veteran should opt not to continue his career elsewhere. Advertisement "If I were Thomas, I'd call time on (his career)," Heynckes said, adding Mueller was "predestined" to continue at Bayern in some kind of leadership role in the future. "Such a gem should not be ignored. Thomas is a witty man and is also very intelligent. He understands an incredible amount in football." Key stats 9 - Harry Kane may sit atop the scoring charts with 24 league goals, but nine have come from the penalty spot, meaning both Leverkusen's Patrik Schick, with 19, and Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy, with 17, have scored more from open play this season. Advertisement 34 - Bayern have won 34 German league titles. No other club has more than nine. 13 - Bayern's Michael Olise has 13 assists this season, the most in the Bundesliga. Fixtures (1330 GMT unless stated) Friday Wolfsburg v Hoffenheim (1830) Saturday Holstein Kiel v Freiburg, Bochum v Mainz, Werder Bremen v RB Leipzig, Union Berlin v Heidenheim, Bayern Munich v Borussia Moenchengladbach (1630) Sunday Bayer Leverkusen v Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt v St Pauli (1530), Stuttgart v Augsburg (1730) dwi/mw
