Jurgen Klopp is in danger of sounding jealous, after the German coach described the decision of former club Liverpool to spend £116m on Florian Wirtz as 'insane'.
"There’s no question about it, it's an insane sum," said Klopp. "We all agree that we’re talking about a great player here. He’s an outstanding player who can give any club something great. Whether he’ll make the reigning English champions even better, remains to be seen."
Klopp once said he'd leave Liverpool if the club ever decided to part with £100m or more on a new signing. Which might explain why American owners Fenway Sports Group waited until he'd left, to do just this.
And the move to sign Wirtz is quite a statement. Because the hangovers from Liverpool's title celebrations have barely been cured, and Liverpool have gone and landed one of the best midfielders in the world.
It sends a serious message to the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal that the champions are determined to build a dynasty. Just like Pep Guardiola did at the Etihad, Arne Slot will want to make his team the most dominant one of this decade and beyond.
Florian Wirtz is unveiled as a Liverpool player after his signing at AXA Training Centre on June 20, 2025 in Kirkby, England
Liverpool have signed one of the world's best young players in Florian Wirtz (Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
He's made a start, dethroning Guardiola's City as the kings of English football, at the first time of asking. Klopp won one title in almost 10 years as Liverpool boss, an achievement Slot has matched in less than 12 months.
The challenge for Slot now is to go on and win multiple titles, along with the Champions League. This is the bare minimum he has to win, if he wants to leave a genuine dynasty behind him. And to do this he needs the best players.
Keeping Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk at Anfield was central to this plan, and now the arrival of Wirtz will add serious talent to a team with more than enough already. Sides like Liverpool have to keep evolving.
Standing still and becoming content with what you have is the death knell of managers at the highest level. And while Wirtz has come at a record cost, he appears to have the ability, ambition and footballing acumen to prove money well spent.
He will be under pressure to deliver, due to his price tag. And Jack Grealish has gone on to prove how this can sometimes be a burden. He once cost City a British record £100m, but is now looking for a new club.
But Wirtz is joining a well-oiled machine, and his signing alone now makes Liverpool clear favourites to win the Premier League again next season. The prospect of him teaming up with Salah, and the damage these two can inflict on opponents, should frighten the life out of the likes of Guardiola and Mikel Arteta.
Liverpool know what it's like to have genuine stature in the game. Back in the 1970s and 80s, the Merseysiders were the dominant club in world football. Since then they have had to spend years of frustration watching bitter rivals from both halves on Manchester replicate them.
But now it seems like Liverpool have learned from losing that mantle they once had, and are prepared to stop at nothing to get it back.