Florian Wirths has given a rather forceful response to suspicions that he is requesting the number 10 shirt ahead of his move to Liverpool in the summer. The Reds have signed the Germany international from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth £116 million.
He was briefly given the number 58 shirt during pre-season, but then wore the number 7 shirt after Luis Diaz left for Bayern Munich. Liverpool supporters will recognize that the club’s number 7 shirt carries a special prestige over other shirts.
Despite this, the absence of the No. 10 jersey continues to cause debate in Germany.
When initial reports suggested that Wirtz was claiming number 10, despite it already belonging to Alexis Mac Allister, Wirtz took to Instagram to deny such speculation.
“Who wants (10 emojis) to respect their players,” he wrote on his Instagram Story. “Don’t believe everything that’s written (clown emoji).”
Both Wirtz and Mac Allister have since appeared in ads for Google Pixel 10 phones, and in August they playfully responded to such rumors while promoting one of Liverpool’s sponsors.
“I know there are rumors that Flo wants number 10,” Mac Allister said into his Google Pixel 10 phone before approaching Wirtz at the AXA Training Center.
“But I want to tell you the whole truth. Flo! This is number 10 you wanted, right? Google Pixel 10.”
“Thank you, Macca. That’s great!” the German replied after being handed the phone, before the two posed for a selfie together.
But four months later, the issue of the coveted number 10 jersey has resurfaced, this time with Bayern Munich’s senior management reportedly getting involved. They had previously been ignored by Wirtz in favor of Liverpool.
Earlier this month, Bayern’s honorary chairman Uli Hoeness claimed that Arne Slott had reneged on his promise to Wirtz to give him the number 10 jersey, and hinted that this may have been a key factor in his decision to turn down the Bundesliga giants.
“Slot made a promise to Wirtz that he clearly hasn’t kept right now,” he said. “It was a no-brainer to build a new team around him, who is number 10.
“He wore the number seven shirt, but the new team clearly does not play around Florian Wirths.
“I feel very bad for Florian Wirths. Everything bothered him at Leverkusen. At Liverpool you get a bad reputation when you receive five passes in the first half and lose the ball twice.”
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich’s sporting director Max Eberl once again commented on Wirtz’s decision to reject the Bayern team. This followed suggestions that Wirtz wanted to wear the number 10 shirt at the Allianz Arena, despite his commitment to Jamal Musiala.
“The jersey number is an important topic for players,” Hebert told Bild. “We were also completely transparent about it (Musiara taking Bayern’s number 10 shirt).
“During all our discussions, we made it clear that we want to have him at FC Bayern and that he is the perfect fit for us.
“Florian then chose Liverpool. I wish him all the best in representing German football in the Premier League.”
Despite six months having passed since Wirtz ignored offers in favor of the Reds, the Bayern boss’ comments about Liverpool and the attacking midfielder still persist, and it is abundantly clear that his snub is still a difficult blow to digest.
Werts may have suffered a poor start to life at Anfield, but he returned from injury after the November international break and has looked increasingly sharp for the Reds in recent games.
After Liverpool’s win over Brighton, Slott praised his playmaker and expressed confidence that he continues to improve. “The way he (Wurtz) handles the ball, how comfortable he is with it,” he said.
“I think he’s another player that I would say is getting better and better.
“He was already very good when we signed him, but he’s getting better and better.
“He’s getting stronger and stronger and forcing people off the ball. If you look at the individual performances, all the effort the players have put in over the last few months is paying off more and more.”
