Bayer Leverkusen fans' nickname for Florian Wirtz speaks volumes after £116m Liverpool move

Florian Wirtz has made a blockbuster move to Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen, with the 22-year-old sealing the deal for an initial £100m rising to £116m and putting pen to paper on a long-term contract at Anfield.

Wirtz always had his heart set on a switch to Anfield, leading to Liverpool securing a transfer fee below Leverkusen's £126m asking price. The compromise was struck last week, much to the delight of the Reds.

Labelled as one of the most exciting talents in European football, Wirtz was hotly pursued by the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester City before opting for the Merseyside club.

SPORT BILD journalist Phillip Arens shared his enthusiasm with The Times, telling Liverpool fans: "Dear Liverpool fans, congratulations for having Florian Wirtz at Anfield. You'll love him and he'll take your hearts by storm.

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"He is worth every single pound. Trust me. Wirtz and Liverpool will be a perfect match. I followed him as a reporter at Bayer Leverkusen from his first days when he was 16 years old in 2020.", reports the Liverpool Echo.

Arens also recounted: "When the speaker at the BayArena announced the Bayer squad, the fans screamed the word 'Fussballgott' after only one player - Wirtz. Calling a player 'god of football' is a typically German way of showing love and respect."

Upon finalising his transfer, Wirtz himself expressed his ambitions, stating that he didn't come to Anfield just 'to have fun', but believes it's the ideal place for him to develop and achieve success.

The player stated: "I just thought that it was the right point in my career to make the next step and, of course, I wanted to get to a club that is from the top three in the world, and Liverpool was one of them.

"The people say I'm a creative player and I hope I can bring this creativity to the team and also the joy on the pitch. I try to make assists, goals and run for the team and defend. I hope I can just make the team one step better."

He explained that his decision to join Liverpool was influenced by the club's people, vision, and offerings, saying: "I just saw myself in the best hands in Liverpool. I was really convinced by the people here, by the idea, and everything the club offers me was really good. It was not that easy for me, for sure, because I am a German player. I play for the Germany national team."

He continued, "So it was not easy for me to decide, but the talks with the coach [Arne Slot] and Richard [Hughes, sporting director] and everybody were, from the very first time, so good and it just kept going like this."

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