Liverpool transfer news - wirtz update, kelleher exit, ekitike interest

Liverpool transfer news - wirtz update, kelleher exit, ekitike interest

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LIVERPOOL SENT EXCITING FLORIAN WIRTZ MESSAGE AS LIONEL MESSI CLAIM MADE Those who have seen Wirtz up close can already attest to his abilities. Indeed, he is held in high regard in his


homeland and Wirtz's international manager Julian Nagelsmann hinted at why he'll fit so well in Liverpool's system when comparing the attacker to Germany's other young


star, Jamal Musiala. "Jamal has worked a lot on his presence in the box, both at club level and with the national team," said Nagelsmann. "He’s getting into the penalty area


more often now and has started scoring with his head. But with Flo, you can see he plays in a slightly more efficient way; he’s very hard-working. Over the course of a long season, when you


play as many games as Leverkusen, it makes sense to be selective with your energy and choose the right moments to go all in." Those comparisons continued with German World Cup winning


manager Joachim Low, who believes Wirtz's direct style is the difference between the two players. "What distinguishes Jamal is his suppleness and movement in tight areas," he


said. " His dribbling is one of his great strengths. Florian is a bit more direct - he is a bit more of a playmaker. He is always looking up and is ready to play the final pass."


Another former Germany coach, Barcelona boss Hansi Flick, described Wirtz as the "full package", praising the attacker's "carefree nature" on the pitch. He said:


"Florian is just a huge asset with his care-free nature. He's simply an outstanding technician, loves to play, is very creative, has a good shot, runs hard and is quick. He's


the full package." Meanwhile, Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman - notoriously hard to impress - is also a fan, saying: "He is an incredibly important player for Germany with


outstanding technical abilities, speed, intelligence – a class player." But the biggest praise for Wirtz came from Cologne boss Gerhard Struber. Wirtz made the switch from Cologne to


Leverkusen in 2020 as a 16-year-old and in February of this year Struber described him as the "German Messi from Cologne".