Florian Wirtz’s father has described how Arne Slot convinced the Germany international to turn down Bayern Munich’s allure and make a historic transfer to Liverpool. Last month, when the Reds reached an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen worth a possible £116 million, Wirtz became the most expensive player in the club’s history.
Wirtz’s Reds bow is now anticipated to take place in Hong Kong next week against AC Milan, as he was unable to make his debut in last Sunday’s friendly victory at Preston North End.
Both Liverpool and Bayern had long had their sights set on the 22-year-old attacking midfielder, and Manchester City and Real Madrid had also briefly entertained a coordinated move.
However, Hans-Joachim, Wirtz’s father, who also serves as his son’s representative along with his wife Karin, has described the significance of a May meeting with Slot that ultimately decided the player’s next point of departure.
“You could say that,” Wirtz’s father responded when asked if the conversation with the Reds manager was pivotal. Florian has been impressed by Arne Slot on the field.
“He’s also a really nice guy. Those who allowed Florian a lot of freedom have always been his best coaches. Florian has also been reached by those who are most sympathetic.
“He finds the English game interesting because it thrives on pace and dynamism. Arne Slot presented his playing philosophy, the team tactics for possession and pressing, and how Florian can develop his strengths in these areas. That made a decisive impression on Florian.
“The training conditions in Liverpool were also totally impressive. Plus Florian is now at a good age to move abroad. With a family, you’re not as independent later on.”
A few days later, the Wirtz team met with Vincent Kompany, the manager of Bayern, but the Bundesliga team was unable to persuade the player to stay in Germany.
According to Wirtz’s father, “Vincent Kompany also had very good insights and ideas about how he wanted to integrate Florian into the FC Bayern team.”
“It came down to subtleties; Florian’s role and the various sporting circumstances were the main factors in the decision.
Furthermore, there were no significant financial distinctions between the two clubs. Once more, Bayern Munich made a great effort, but a choice had to be made.
“A number of clubs expressed interest, but Bayern and Liverpool were the only viable options,” he continued.
“We gave ourselves the following Thursday as our deadline. Because we all had the same opinion, the three of us decided to support Liverpool.
“Florian picked Liverpool FC because he saw the move overseas as a fresh challenge on both a personal and athletic level. We both held this opinion.
The Wirtz family had developed a relationship with Uli Hoeness, the honorary president of FC Koln, and Bayern had been pursuing Wirtz for a number of years.
Additionally, the player’s father acknowledges in a lengthy interview with Der Spiegel that telling Bayern that they had lost out on the player wasn’t simple.
He claimed that Uli Hoeness and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the former forward and chief executive of Bayern, made extraordinary efforts and clearly assessed the sporting possibilities, which made the situation with Bayern challenging.
“I have the greatest respect for Uli Hoeness and his life’s work. After Florian’s cruciate ligament tear in 2022, he completely selflessly helped us quickly get an appointment for surgery in Innsbruck. We are still grateful to him for that. That’s why the final phone call with Uli Hoeness was very difficult for me.
“We had spoken several times beforehand, so he was as objective and fair as I’d ever known him. But of course, he couldn’t hide his disappointment. After all, he had personally worked hard to bring about this change.”