Florian Wirtz earned some plaudits for his performance for Liverpool against Brentford on Saturday, and Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer is a big fan of the playmaker
Liverpool attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz.
Liverpool attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz.(Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer has praised Liverpool playmaker Florian Wirtz, but insisted that the Bundesliga giant is not eyeing a transfer move for the 23-year-old.
Though there is no suggestion that Liverpool would be prepared to let Wirtz leave, he has been linked with a return to Germany in some quarters. His performances at the start of the new season have drawn some criticism, though he created nine chances for his teammates this weekend against Brentford.
When Wirtz moved from Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool, Bayern Munich was unhappy to have missed out. The $157 million (£116 million) ace opted for a Premier League switch instead.
"First of all, I think Florian Wirtz is an outstanding player — there’s absolutely no question about that," Hainer said, via Sport Witness.
"I almost feel a little sorry for him that he hasn’t yet reached the same form in England that he had at Leverkusen, because we also need him for the German national team.
"[Bayern] have such a top-class squad, we’re incredibly happy at the moment, and therefore [a transfer] not an issue for us."
BRENTFORD, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 17: Florian Wirtz of Liverpool gestures during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Brentford and Liverpool FC at Gtech Community Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Brentford, England. (Photo by Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images)
Florian Wirtz of Liverpool gestures during the Premier League match against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium(Image: Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images)
Wirtz collected an assist as Liverpool played Brentford, sending Victor Munoz on his way before the Spaniard fired into the corner to level the scores.
The German created more chances for his teammates than any other Liverpool player in a single Premier League fixture since records began.
However, they only totaled 0.19 expected assists (xG), which gives a fuller picture — none were particularly close to goal.
Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki, though, who has 16, is the only player to register more open-play assists in the Premier League since the start of last season than Wirtz (11).
Content Image
Content Image
While he remains a talking point, Wirtz is still getting to grips with the Premier League, and the reaction — either positive or negative — has often been extreme.
Wirtz is likely to start again for Liverpool as the Reds host Villarreal on Tuesday in the Champions League. They then host Brighton as a run of relentless fixtures continues for Andoni Iraola.
Liverpool.com says: Wirtz played fairly well against Brentford, but you still wanted more. Unfortunately, we have reached the point in the debate where he has become polarizing. In reality, he is often somewhere in between.