3 weeks ago
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Virgil van Dijk hinted that he knew a big summer was ahead at Liverpool when he signed his new contract in April, and that has absolutely turned out to be the case.
The Reds staved off competition from Bayern Munich to sign Florian Wirtz for what could end up being a Premier League record fee, while Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong have also arrived for lofty sums of money.
Now, it sounds as though Hugo Ekitike is also on his way to Anfield, after Liverpool reached an agreement with the Frenchman over a move to Anfield.
It says a lot about the position Liverpool is in right now that some of the most exciting players in the world are choosing Anfield as their favored destination.
Of course, it should come as no surprise that a historic club like Liverpool has huge pull, but there is no doubt that what the club is doing on the pitch is a major reason that Anfield has become such a popular destination.
The on-field success has come as a result of Liverpool having the right people in the important positions off the field, with the Reds rightly receiving plaudits for its recruitment over the last decade or so.
Florian Wirtz's father recently revealed how the way Liverpool approached signing his son was a key reason behind the German choosing the Reds over Bayern.
Liverpool and Slot made it clear to Wirtz how they viewed him as such an important player for their project, making him feel particularly wanted — and that is no doubt something that they also did with Kerkez, Frimpong, and Ekitike.
“There were several clubs interested, but Bayern and Liverpool remained the only serious options,” Wirtz’s father, Hans-Joachim Wirtz, revealed in an interview with Der Spiegel. “The situation with Bayern was difficult because [they] made incredible efforts and also clearly analyzed the sporting possibilities.
“Arne Slot has impressed Florian with what he’s done on the pitch. He’s also a very pleasant person. Florian’s best coaches have always been those who gave him a lot of freedom and those with the most empathy. He also finds the English game interesting because it thrives on pace and dynamism.
“Slot presented his playing philosophy, the team tactics for possession and pressing, and how Florian can develop his strengths in these areas. That made a decisive impression on Florian. The training conditions in Liverpool were also totally impressive. Plus: Florian is now at a good age to move abroad.
“We set ourselves a deadline [and] all three of us shared the same perception and thus made the joint decision in favour of Liverpool. Florian saw the move abroad as a new personal and sporting challenge and therefore chose Liverpool.”
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