Former Germany and Liverpool striker Karl-Heinz Reidle has sensationally labelled Florian Wirtz ‘a once-in-a-century talent like we’ve never had before.’
Wirtz is expected to complete a move from Bayer Leverkusen to Anfield in the coming days, with the Reds prepared to make him their record signing.
A deal worth £127m is on the verge of completion, showing the enormous faith they have in the 22-year-old.
Reidle clearly has the same faith in the attacking midfielder, backing him to be a ‘huge hit’ with Liverpool and believing he will be a standout player of his generation.
‘Even in my time, Liverpool were cool. Jürgen Klopp has transformed the club into something completely new,’ Reidle told Bild.
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‘Liverpool has so much quality up front; it’s a gift for any number 10 to be able to play in this team. Florian Wirtz has outstanding playing potential, and on top of that, he’s strong in tackling, which will help him in England.
‘Florian is now taking a big step in his career. He will be a huge hit with the fans and his style of play.
‘He’s an exceptional player. Florian is a once-in-a-century talent like we’ve never had before.’
Reidle moved to Liverpool late in his career, scoring 15 goals in 76 appearances from 1997-99 before finishing his playing career with Fulham.
Alonso hails ‘world class’ Wirtz
Another former Liverpool player knows Wirtz very well as Xabi Alonso was his manager at Leverkusen before leaving to take charge of Real Madrid.
He too has rave reviews of the Germany international, saying last 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. Let’s wait a little bit. It’s normal in football that there are rumours, especially with such a special player.’
Erik Meijer, who played for Leverkusen and Liverpool in the ’90s did have a word of warning for Wirtz, but has backed him to overcome the challenge.
‘Florian has to get used to the pace quickly, and the opponents will also be stronger,’ he told Bild.
”The pressure is there; he has to deliver. But I’m not worried about him at all. Especially since the quality of the players alongside him is even higher than those at Leverkusen.’
Wirtz was also wanted by Bayern Munich, with sporting director Max Eberl admitting as much, but admitting the club could not compete with Liverpool’s spending.
‘If I’m honest, I don’t know if we could have paid what Liverpool are apparently paying now,’ he said. ‘Florian Wirtz is an outstanding player. We could have imagined signing him.’
