Florian Wirtz shocked German giants Bayern Munich by rejecting them in favour of a summer move to Liverpool, but it's no coincidence. The words Arne Slot shared with Bayer Leverkusen's star man have now been revealed, shedding light on why the Bundesliga Player of the Year appears to have chosen Anfield.
For months, it seemed almost certain that Harry Kane and company would win the race to sign Wirtz, who had just claimed the Bundesliga’s top individual honour for a second consecutive season. Manchester City had already bowed out, citing the potentially astronomical cost of the deal, while Real Madrid appeared content to wait until the summer of 2026 to make a serious push.
Then came Liverpool, offering Wirtz a proposal the 22-year-old simply couldn’t refuse. The Arne Slot era at Anfield is already off to a flying start, with the Dutchman guiding the Reds to their second Premier League title in five years in his debut season. But for Wirtz, it wasn’t just about silverware - there was something deeper behind his decision to join the red half of Merseyside as the clubs near an agreement.
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Florian Wirtz
According to Christian Falk, who sat down for an exclusive interview with CaughtOffside, Wirtz and his entourage held a secret meeting with Bayern Munich on May 18, the day they pipped Bayer Leverkusen to the Bundesliga title. He then went on holiday for a week before declining their proposal, with Slot's pitch to the creative midfielder being the deciding factor. He said:
"The decisive factor in his decision was that Arne Slot offered him ownership of the number 10 role at Liverpool. In Munich, he would have had to share this with Jamal Musiala. The talks with the coaches were decisive.”
Such is the German international’s hunger to be the focal point, it seems he was seeking a guaranteed role in a team where everything flows through him creatively. At Liverpool, that would likely mean operating as the team’s primary attacking midfielder - a role that could see Dominik Szoboszlai drop deeper into a No. 8 position alongside Alexis Mac Allister, with Ryan Gravenberch providing cover and rotation.
The first glimpse of an Arne Slot-led Liverpool side featuring his own signings is a daunting prospect for the rest of the Premier League. With Milos Kerkez also rumoured to follow in the footsteps of Jeremie Frimpong and Wirtz, a supercomputer has already predicted that the Reds will repeat their title-winning success from this season in the 2025/26 campaign.