‘Right Thing’—Arne Slot's Role in Florian Wirtz Joining Liverpool Revealed | OneFootball

Liverpool chairman Tom Werner says it was the “right decision” to spend £116 million ($159 million) on Florian Wirtz.

The Reds have paid Bayer Leverkusen a guaranteed fee of £100 million ($137.1 million) for the attacking midfielder—smashing the British transfer record in the process—and could pay a further £16 million ($21.9 million) in performance-related add-ons.

But club chief Werner trusts that Arne Slot and Liverpool’s recruitment team have made the correct call in signing Wirtz despite the vast sum it cost the Reds to get him through the door.

“There was a lot of noise last year that we didn't go out and sign somebody for £100 million but Arne felt the right thing to do was work with the squad he has,” Werner told the Liverpool Echo.

“He also feels it is the right thing to do now to bring in some fresh faces and if Wirtz is half the talent that the media and the analysts say then it will be the right decision! It is exciting and I hope in a year we can say it was the right decision.”

Wirtz is a generational talent. / IMAGO/Laci Perenyi

Asked about the ownership’s influence over Wirtz’s signing, Werner replied: “We [Fenway Sports Group] do not meddle in those kinds of decisions. We have full confidence that Richard [Hughes, sporting director] and Arne are being extremely careful and that if they bless something or recommend something then we are going to support.

“There was a point in the process that we thought we had stretched to a generous proposal and if we thought Leverkusen wanted 20% more then we may not have been able to get there. We don't take anything for granted but [Wirtz] has been the greatest player in the Bundesliga last season but playing in the Premier League, it will be a different challenge and a new opportunity for him.”

Wirtz has been Liverpool’s main expenditure this summer but they have also coughed up sizeable fees for Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, the former also signing for Leverkusen and the latter arriving from Bournemouth. The pair of full-backs cost approximately £70 million ($96 million).

It appears unlikely that Liverpool, who have spent more money in a single transfer window than ever before, have finished their business either, with a new centre-back and potentially another striker rumoured. The Reds will have to sell players to recoup funds and make space for incomings, however.

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