What Xabi Alonso has said about Florian Wirtz as Liverpool make 2nd bid – Liverpool FC

Florian Wirtz previously drew comparisons to Lionel Messi by his ex-manager Xabi Alonso, who helped oversee his development at Bayer Leverkusen.

Liverpool have submitted a second offer to secure the 22-year-old’s signature, tabling a bid worth up to £109 million as they push forward with making an early statement signing.

The German international favours a move to Anfield and with the club confident of striking a deal with Leverkusen, it is only a matter of time before his arrival is expected to be announced.

With that in mind, it will be of interest to many who may not have regularly seen Wirtz live in action to hear how ex-Red and now Real Madrid manager Alonso views the playmaker.

Alonso and Wirtz worked together from October 2022 until the end of the current season, and he said in a press conference earlier this month: “Flo is one of the top players in the world.

“He is world-class. Flo has a very mature mind. The people around him, his parents, they want the best for him.

“They are in a very important moment of his career. Whatever he does, I am really close to Flo, and I will be happy for him.”

In early 2023, Alonso even drew comparisons to Lionel Messi when discussing Wirtz and what makes him a special talent – the German was only 19 at the time.

“There are good players and there are players who look good on the pitch,” Alonso said. “The player who looks good does things that are nice, but not necessarily efficient.

“Why is Messi so good? Because he knows how and when to play simple passes. Messi says: ‘You’re in a better position? Here, there you have the ball!’

“It’s not always about making the most brilliant move, but the best and smartest. Florian can do that. That’s why he’s so good.”

Impressive, right?

Wirtz is “unbelievably intelligent”

Another who has watched Wirtz’s development closely is Leverkusen’s former executive CEO assistant, Devin Ozek, who told Sky Sports: “He’s an unbelievably intelligent player, to understand spaces between the lines, creating chances, an advanced playmaker.

“But if we talk about Florian Wirtz, we have to give a lot of credit to [Leverkusen director of sport] Simon Rolfes, because he did a big job in signing him.

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“He believed from the first moment in him and also [chief executive] Fernando Carro, both are responsible for this signing.

“And for me, it’s one of the best signings in the Bundesliga history. He’s in the top category.”

Liverpool will hope that will extend to one of the best signings in Premier League history soon enough.