Florian Wirtz was caught by 'surprise' by Liverpool teammate after Anfield arrival

Florian Wirtz has been one of Liverpool's best players in recent weeks and he spoke about his start to life at Liverpool, as well as his Reds teammates, in a new interview

Florian Wirtz had high praise for Hugo Ekitike(Image: 2026 Getty Images)

Florian Wirtz admitted that he has been surprised by the quality of Hugo Ekitike since becoming teammates with the Frenchman last summer.

Wirtz and Ekitike were both big-money signings by Liverpool in 2025, and the pair have struck up a good on-field relationship for Arne Slot's men. Ekitike hit the ground running at the start of the season and is enjoying a very encouraging first season at the club, while Wirtz is getting to grips with life in the Premier League after a slow start.

Wirtz was asked about his adaptation to life at Liverpool as well as his connection with Ekitike in a new interview with BBC Sport.

"I'm feeling much better than at the start of the season," Wirtz said. "It's just nice to play with players like Hugo. He's a great guy, big personality, a good friend already of mine.

"Because we know each other already from the Bundesliga. And we played a few times against each other.

"We exchanged our shirts already when he was at Frankfurt, and he’s a really fantastic player and he even surprised me when I first saw him here, training and playing, because I didn’t know he was that good.

"And it’s so much fun to play with him because he knows how you move on the pitch, how you link up with each other. And yeah, it’s just nice to play with him."

Hugo Ekitike has been great for Liverpool(Image: Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Wirtz was the subject of a transfer tussle involving a host of top clubs in 2025, but Liverpool and Bayern Munich were the two clubs that competed most heavily to sign the German midfielder.

Wirtz surprised many when he chose to join Liverpool over Bayern, and he explained why he made the decision to move to Merseyside.

"I thought, 'This is the right place to get better and a bigger player,'" Wirtz said. "The club is so big, and the team won the Premier League last year.

"I had very good meetings with the manager before I joined, and a few players contacted me. Virgil [van Dijk], Mo [Salah] as well, sent me a message. They were not begging me to come but just tried to give me a feeling about Liverpool.

"Virgil said he would be happy if I come, and maybe I can help the team to get even better than they were last year.

"These are things you like to hear and helps you to decide in the end.

"I am still happy that I made this decision, even when the start wasn't that easy."