Florian Wirtz is sitting in a room overlooking Liverpool’s training pitches, reflecting on the experiences of his first season in English football.When the Merseyside club shattered their transfer record to buy the Germany international from Bayer Leverkusen last June for a fee of £100million ($135m), potentially rising to £116m with add-ons, it was viewed as a major coup following their Premier League title triumph.Bayern Munich and Manchester City were also keen to sign one of the Bundesliga’s most exciting attacking talents, but Wirtz opted for Anfield. Trying to make his mark has proved harder than anticipated, but a turbulent, trophy-less campaign for Arne Slot’s side hasn’t shaken his belief that he made the right decision.“No regrets at all,” he says. “I’m still happy to be here. I have big goals for next season, because this season hasn’t gone as planned.”During an exclusive interview with The Athletic, Wirtz is engaging company, as he opens up on a wide range of topics:
Learning to deal with criticism on a scale he hadn’t previously experienced.
The extra gym work that helped him adapt to the demands of the Premier League.
Mohamed Salah’s controversial social media post — and why he liked it.
