Coach suggests teen snubbed Liverpool, compares him to star Klopp is allegedly desperate to sign

Follow us on Google Discover

Liverpool have reportedly missed out on Florian Wirtz.

Not only do Liverpool have an outstanding first team, but they also have a whole host of youngsters ready to break through in the coming years too.

Neco Williams, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott should become first team regulars in the coming years, with Liverpool showing their focus on youth by signing Elliott and Sepp van den Berg last summer.

Liverpool may well continue to bring in young players in upcoming transfer windows, but it’s now claimed that they actually missed out on a youngster in January.

Midfielder Florian Wirtz has earned a reputation for himself in Germany, having hit eight goals and one assist in 10 Under-17 Bundesliga-West appearances this season.

In January, Bayer Leverkusen swooped to sign Wirtz, securing a deal to sign him from Koln at the end of the season, angering Dusseldorf and Borussia Monchengladbach in the process.

Now, Leverkusen youth team head coach Patrick Helmes – formerly of Koln himself – has commented on the transfer, claiming that Wirtz could have joined Liverpool or Bayern Munich instead.

Helmes even compared Wirtz to Leverkusen star Kai Havertz, believing that he has ‘things that you cannot learn’, and is great in tight spaces on the pitch, with Leverkusen now hoping the 16-year-old can fulfil his potential.

“The boy has huge talent,” Helmes told Sport1. “He could have gone to Liverpool, to Bavaria or to Dortmund. Everyone wanted the boy. Flo’s decision to go to Bayer is interesting – probably because of the proximity to home. What he has are things that you cannot learn. Moving around the room to solve stressful situations. He has a little bit in common with Kai Havertz,” he added.

Liverpool may be disappointed to miss out on Wirtz, but it’s ironic that Helmes would compare him to Havertz, as The Express claim that Jurgen Klopp is now ‘desperate’ to sign the Leverkusen ace this summer.

Missing out on Wirtz and signing the more proven player he’s compared to would be easier to stomach for the Reds, and they may hope Leverkusen are more open to selling Havertz having landed a star of the future in Wirtz.