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Former Bayern Munich and Chelsea star Michael Ballack has said he can understand Florian Wirtz’s decision to leave his homeland and join Liverpool this summer.
The 22-year-old signed for the Reds for a fee of up £116 million ($157M) during the transfer window, briefly becoming the club’s record signing, before he was eclipsed by Alexander Isak a few weeks later. While Wirtz hasn’t made an immediate impression in the Premier League, fans have high expectations for a player chased by Europe’s biggest clubs.
Bayern was among them, with the sense in May that the German champions would win the race to sign the midfielder. Instead, somewhat surprisingly, Wirtz was convinced by Arne Slot and Liverpool to turn his back on the Bundesliga.
It’s a choice made by several high-profile names this summer, including Jeremie Frimpong, Hugo Ekitike, Piero Hincapie, Jamie Gittens, Benjamin Sesko, Xavi Simons, and Nick Woltemade.
That is an alarming trend in Ballack’s eyes, who feels the Bundesliga can no longer afford to compete with the Premier League.
"Of course, English clubs pay insane amounts,” the former midfielder told Bild. “But even for Wirtz, Bayern were prepared to put together a package worth up to €100 million.
“And as for Nick Woltemade: That's a different case. Bayern has a financial budget. The club has excelled for decades by staying out of debt and growing big.
“That's why I understand why Bayern decided not to pay more than €55 million for Woltemade. Because the player wasn't worth more to them.
“But fundamentally, I'm concerned about something else. Let's take Wirtz as an example: Does it make sense for him and his development to play in the Bundesliga for Bayern for another two or three years?
“Of course, he wins championships there. But is the Bundesliga still a challenge for him at the highest level? No, because the Bundesliga was overtaken by the Premier League years ago.
“That's the reality. That's why it's generally no longer as attractive for the absolute top players. That's why changes are needed.”
Like Wirtz, Ballack opted to leave German soccer when he swapped Bayern Munich for Chelsea in 2006, and went on to make 167 appearances for the Blues.
Meanwhile, Wirtz has faced criticism in Germany following recent performances for the national side against Slovakia and Northern Ireland. That’s despite scoring a sublime free-kick against the latter.
A maiden Premier League goal or assist on Sunday would help silence any critics in the first weeks of his Liverpool career.
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