Latest news with #Westerveld
North Wales Chronicle
7 hours ago
- Business
- North Wales Chronicle
Sander Westerveld convinced Florian Wirtz is well worth his £100m fee
The club shattered their previous best – an £85m deal for Darwin Nunez – to secure the services of the Bayer Leverkusen playmaker and Westerveld said the 'little magician' could prove to be transformative. 'He's definitely worth the money, he's a little magician,' Westerveld told the PA news agency. 'I don't want to compare him with other players but he is definitely going to be one of the most exciting players next season.' Westerveld was speaking at the opening of a Cruyff Court – created by the Cruyff Foundation which bears the name of the Netherlands great Johan – which has been named after him at Liverpool's Lakeside School which caters for pupils with additional learning needs. The expected arrival of Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez this week, combined with the arrivals of Wirtz, his Leverkusen team-mate Jeremie Frimpong and Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, will take the Premier League champions' spending beyond £200m. It is owners Fenway Sports Group's biggest transfer window spend since 2018. 'Finally, you would say,' added Westerveld. 'Last season they only bought (Federico) Chiesa, so they haven't spent in the last couple of years as other teams have but I think it was the right moment now. 'They said all the time 'We only spend a lot of our money on players who are adding to the team' and if you see (Florian) Wirtz, (Jeremie) Frimpong and (Milos) Kerkez they are really exciting players. 'Wirtz is one of the best players in Europe and that is really helpful for Liverpool and it's really exciting to see the team coming together now.' Westerveld did not know his name would be on the Cruyff Court when he formally opened it on Monday. 'It's a very nice surprise and I am proud to have my name on the court. I was tricked into opening it,' he said. 'All the legends, from Johan Cruyff to (Frank) Rijkaard, (Marco) Van Basten to Ruud Gullitt and Virgil van Dijk, have their names on courts so for my name to be in there is a big honour.'
South Wales Guardian
8 hours ago
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
Sander Westerveld convinced Florian Wirtz is well worth his £100m fee
The club shattered their previous best – an £85m deal for Darwin Nunez – to secure the services of the Bayer Leverkusen playmaker and Westerveld said the 'little magician' could prove to be transformative. 'He's definitely worth the money, he's a little magician,' Westerveld told the PA news agency. 'I don't want to compare him with other players but he is definitely going to be one of the most exciting players next season.' Westerveld was speaking at the opening of a Cruyff Court – created by the Cruyff Foundation which bears the name of the Netherlands great Johan – which has been named after him at Liverpool's Lakeside School which caters for pupils with additional learning needs. The expected arrival of Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez this week, combined with the arrivals of Wirtz, his Leverkusen team-mate Jeremie Frimpong and Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, will take the Premier League champions' spending beyond £200m. It is owners Fenway Sports Group's biggest transfer window spend since 2018. 'Finally, you would say,' added Westerveld. 'Last season they only bought (Federico) Chiesa, so they haven't spent in the last couple of years as other teams have but I think it was the right moment now. 'They said all the time 'We only spend a lot of our money on players who are adding to the team' and if you see (Florian) Wirtz, (Jeremie) Frimpong and (Milos) Kerkez they are really exciting players. 'Wirtz is one of the best players in Europe and that is really helpful for Liverpool and it's really exciting to see the team coming together now.' Westerveld did not know his name would be on the Cruyff Court when he formally opened it on Monday. 'It's a very nice surprise and I am proud to have my name on the court. I was tricked into opening it,' he said. 'All the legends, from Johan Cruyff to (Frank) Rijkaard, (Marco) Van Basten to Ruud Gullitt and Virgil van Dijk, have their names on courts so for my name to be in there is a big honour.'
Glasgow Times
8 hours ago
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Sander Westerveld convinced Florian Wirtz is well worth his £100m fee
The club shattered their previous best – an £85m deal for Darwin Nunez – to secure the services of the Bayer Leverkusen playmaker and Westerveld said the 'little magician' could prove to be transformative. 'He's definitely worth the money, he's a little magician,' Westerveld told the PA news agency. Florian Wirtz is well worth his club-record £100million transfer fee, according to former goalkeeper Sander Westerveld (Niall Carson/PA) 'I don't want to compare him with other players but he is definitely going to be one of the most exciting players next season.' Westerveld was speaking at the opening of a Cruyff Court – created by the Cruyff Foundation which bears the name of the Netherlands great Johan – which has been named after him at Liverpool's Lakeside School which caters for pupils with additional learning needs. The expected arrival of Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez this week, combined with the arrivals of Wirtz, his Leverkusen team-mate Jeremie Frimpong and Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, will take the Premier League champions' spending beyond £200m. It is owners Fenway Sports Group's biggest transfer window spend since 2018. 'Finally, you would say,' added Westerveld. 'Last season they only bought (Federico) Chiesa, so they haven't spent in the last couple of years as other teams have but I think it was the right moment now. 'They said all the time 'We only spend a lot of our money on players who are adding to the team' and if you see (Florian) Wirtz, (Jeremie) Frimpong and (Milos) Kerkez they are really exciting players. 'Wirtz is one of the best players in Europe and that is really helpful for Liverpool and it's really exciting to see the team coming together now.' Westerveld did not know his name would be on the Cruyff Court when he formally opened it on Monday. 'It's a very nice surprise and I am proud to have my name on the court. I was tricked into opening it,' he said. 'All the legends, from Johan Cruyff to (Frank) Rijkaard, (Marco) Van Basten to Ruud Gullitt and Virgil van Dijk, have their names on courts so for my name to be in there is a big honour.'
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘I was very surprised Liverpool signed Giorgi Mamardashvili - I know what it will mean for Alisson'
Ex-Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld has said he was surprised his former club decided to sign Giorgi Mamardashvili last summer and said he thinks it's time for Caoimhin Kelleher to leave. Arne Slot has an abundance of goalkeeping options and, before next season, could have three first-choice international stoppers to choose from. Alisson remains the undisputed No.1 - for now, at least - while a deal is in place for Mamardashvili to sign from Valencia this summer. That, according to Westerveld, was a strange decision by the Reds, although he doesn't dispute the quality of the arriving Georgian. 'I was very surprised when Liverpool signed Mamardashvili,' he told journalists after Liverpool legends' game against Chelsea at Anfield on Saturday. READ MORE: Peter Crouch changed his mind on robot celebration just minutes before Liverpool return READ MORE: Liverpool legend furious at being substituted during win over Chelsea 'I follow Spanish football and I know how good this guy is. I said after the last Euros that he was the best goalkeeper in the Euros. This season he has been criticised a little. I'm not worried. It's obviously for the no.2 spot, as Alisson will be the no.1.' It also leaves the question of what happens to Kelleher, who has regularly shown his quality over recent seasons in the cup competitions and when Alisson has been unavailable. 'With Kelleher, I think his time has come to play regularly as a no.1 somewhere,' said Westerveld, who played over 100 times for the Reds in his career. 'In the Premier League and Championship, he could be a great goalkeeper for almost all of the teams that there are. 'He's a quality goalkeeper and he needs to play. As a fan I would like him to stay another a bit longer but then Liverpool would have two of the best goalkeepers in Europe [behind Alisson].' Asked if he feels rotating is an option for goalkeepers, Westerveld replied: 'No, I don't think so. [Mikel] Arteta said something at the start of the season. My fellow Dutchman, Bart Verbruggen had that situation last season [at Brighton]. 'You should have a no.1 and a good back-up, either an experienced guy who knows he's no.2 and can come in and doesn't need to play five games to get rhythm because he's got experience, or you can have a slightly younger goalkeeper, like Kelleher, who shows himself and the quality. 'At the moment Liverpool are having a luxury problem and hopefully we can have that next season, too.' READ MORE: History made in Liverpool Legends game with two Chelsea players crunched seconds later READ MORE: Steven Gerrard fumes at Liverpool teammate during charity match as icon can't hide anger Westerveld was speaking after he played just under 45 minutes as Liverpool legends beat a side containing former Chelsea players 2-0 at Anfield, with both goals scored by Peter Crouch. 'Always happy, especially with a clean sheet,' said the Dutchman. 'I'm always nervous for these kinds of games because I don't know how fit I am. In my head I'm still the 28-year-old that played here but when there's a low ball and my head thinks like I'm going to dive quickly and my body goes so slow. 'So it's always I'm very nervous during the game and then especially when I can make a save once or twice then I'm extra happy. But of course it's all about the money, it's all about the Foundation. It's all about the crowd and the stadium so summing everything up, it's been a perfect day. Nearly 60,000 were in attendance at Anfield on a sunny Merseyside afternoon, with the funds from the game being donated to the LFC Foundation and its incredible work in the local community.
BBC News
06-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'PSG caused Liverpool the most problems this season'
Former Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast about the Reds' win in Paris and the quality Paris Saint-Germain PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma being beaten late on by Harvey Elliott's finish, Westerveld said: "He got a hand to it and I think it touched the inside of the post. As a goalkeeper, you feel that you should have done a little bit more and gone with a stronger hand so I really felt sorry for him."Paris Saint-Germain must have been walking off the pitch feeling sorry for themselves. But they have an unbelievable side and they caused Liverpool the most problems this season."The home side had 27 shots in this match – the second-most on record (from 2003-04) for a side in a Champions League knockout match in which they both failed to score and lost, behind only PSG themselves v Borussia Dortmund in May 2024 (30)."They will play the same next week so Liverpool really has to step up and play differently because otherwise they can still beat Liverpool even 4-0 at Anfield," Westerveld added.
