- Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has shared his verdict on the signing
- Wirtz completed his £116million switch from Bayer Leverkusen on Friday
- LISTEN to Whistleblowers: Are Arsenal fans right to think they’ve been aggrieved by the fixtures?
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has shared his verdict on the Reds smashing their transfer record to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen.
Wirtz, 22, completed his switch to Anfield on Friday in a move that saw Liverpool fork out a whopping £116million to secure his services after a lengthy pursuit for several weeks.
The transfer comes as a statement of intent after Klopp’s successor, Arne Slot, looks to defend the Premier League title he won in his first season after taking over.
Now, Klopp has revealed his thoughts on the signing of Wirtz, who scored 10 goals and notched 12 assists in the Bundesliga last season.
Speaking to RTL/NTV on Saturday, Klopp said: ‘This is going to be absolutely fantastic, I’m sure of it.
‘It’s very hard to strengthen a team when you’re champions. But Liverpool have managed it.
‘They’ve signed an exceptional talent in Florian Wirtz. I’m looking forward to seeing it. It’s going to be great.’
Klopp’s comments come after Mail Sport exclusively revealed how Liverpool were able to sign a player who was courted by top clubs across Europe.
‘He is a quiet guy, not like a loud speaker,’ says a source who has spent time with Wirtz. ‘He is cleverer than you think, only speaks when he wants to. He is a cool guy.’
He will be ably supported in starting a new challenge by the presence of his friend and former Leverkusen team-mate Jeremie Frimpong, who completed a switch to Anfield earlier this month.
‘I am with Jeremie almost every day off,’ Wirtz said last year – in a statement that will be welcome to Liverpool fans given they will reunite in England once again next season.
The Premier League champions will begin their title defence with a clash against Bournemouth at Anfield on opening night before a tricky trip to Newcastle. Arne Slot’s side have a fairly tricky start to the campaign to navigate, with fixtures against Arsenal, Everton, Chelsea and Manchester United before the end of October.
Along with their clashes against the Gunners, Reds fans will also be keeping an eye on matches against Manchester City, which are set for early November and early February.
Another headache for the Reds will be this year’s Africa Cup of Nations, which will likely rule Mohamed Salah out of the away fixture against Arsenal in January. The end to the season also looks tough, with matches against United, Chelsea and Aston Villa before Brentford on the final day.
