Jurgen Klopp reacts to ‘insane’ Florian Wirtz news straight from Liverpool
Liverpool have splashed the cash in the transfer window this summer, and more big-money signings could follow.
Florian Wirtz has joined from Bayer Leverkusen in a British-record deal that could hit £116m, following his teammate Jeremie Frimpong to Anfield, and they have also been joined by Milos Kerkez.
Liverpool are aiming to retain their Premier League title with these ambitious signings, and are acting with more aggression in the market than seen before.
It is a far cry from the financial constraints Jurgen Klopp faced at times in his legendary spell at Liverpool, and he has now admitted that he was wrong about the way their transfer strategy has unfolded.
Klopp admits mistake as Liverpool invest heavily in transfers
Klopp was previously outspoken against big-money transfers, but with Liverpool now setting the pace in the summer window, he has admitted that he was mistaken.
Speaking to German outlet Welt (27 June), Klopp claimed that he was wrong to think signings at Liverpool would not exceed €100m, now that the Wirtz deal has been confirmed.
“There’s no question about it, it’s an insane sum, but one that a player at Liverpool won’t be aware of if things don’t go well for two or three games,” he stated.
“We all agree that we’re talking about a great player here. I know I once said I’d be out if we paid €100 million for a player. But the world is changing. The market is just like that.”
Klopp’s biggest transfers at Liverpool
While Klopp was a coach who prided himself on improving the players at his disposal, he was not afraid to spend on proven quality to upgrade his team.
The signing of Alisson was a world-record fee for a goalkeeper at the time, and Liverpool pursued Virgil van Dijk for years before eventually making him the most expensive centre-back in the world.
Both signings proved instrumental as both players have become Liverpool legends, cementing themselves among the greats.
Liverpool fans will now hope that Wirtz can follow a similar path and hit the ground running immediately, but not all of Klopp’s signings were as successful as the defensive pair.
Wirtz has now become Liverpool’s most expensive signing, overtaking Darwin Nunez, who joined under Klopp for a hefty fee, but has failed to convince despite some impressive moments.
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