Florian Wirtz hasn’t had the best of starts following his move to Liverpool in the summer. The German international was bought in for a record-breaking £116m from Bayer Leverkusen.
However, the Reds broke the record again in the same summer after they signed Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak. It cost the Merseysiders £125m to transfer the Swede’s contract from St. James Park.
Despite Isak’s move breaking the initial record, the pressure to perform remains, as Wirtz hasn’t been able to light up the Premier League like he was expected to.
The German midfielder did assist a goal in the FA Community Shield, where Liverpool lost to Crystal Palace in penalties. Nonetheless, the games that followed haven’t been impressive in terms of statistics, despite Wirtz’s efforts to blend into his new home.
In a recent interview with Sky Sports Germany, Florian shared the difference between playing in Germany and England, claiming the Isles offer a higher experience of the beautiful game.
Quiz: Can you name the team Liverpool signed these players from?
Florian Wirtz talks about the Liverpool experience
Florian Wirtz talks about the experience of playing at Anfield (Credits: Imago Images)
Wirtz started with the difference between the stadiums. Despite Bayer Leverkusen’s historic success, it isn’t as big a club compared to Liverpool.
“I loved playing for Leverkusen. I loved the fans, the club. When you’re in the stadium in Liverpool, you realise: This is just a little bit above and beyond.”
“It’s impressive when ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ is played at Anfield. It does something to you when so many people sing that song. It definitely gets under your skin.”
The midfielder also faced the dilemma of price as the German claimed it is not as important as people make out, and Slot’s advice on these aspects of football.
“It is what it is. We’re not used to Liverpool spending so much. They haven’t done that in recent years, and then they were able to do it this summer.”
“Of course, it’s not normal for a player to cost that much. Everyone knows that. But at the moment, it’s just paid for. The coach told me that here in the squad, you don’t have to put any pressure on yourself about how much you cost or didn’t cost, because it feels like everyone around you could cost just as much if they were playing somewhere else.”
He was also asked about the timeline of getting back to his usual form and delivering like he was doing for Bayer Leverkusen at the BayArena.
“That’s difficult to say. I’d like to know, too, but it can take some time until you really arrive somewhere and settle in and are familiar with everything, and I’ll allow myself that. I just hope that at some point, the time will come when I feel truly comfortable, at home, and ready.”
