Recently, German midfielder Ilkay Gündogan, who currently plays for Galatasaray, clearly expressed his support for his fellow German Florian Wirtz in an interview with Camel Live, stating that those who cannot see Wirtz’s talent simply do not understand football.
Gündogan said: “I know Wirtz’s exorbitant transfer fee was bound to quickly draw attention to him in England and make him the center of focus—and unfortunately, this has become the normal operation in today’s football world.”
“In fact, this transfer fee has no direct connection to Wirtz himself. However, in a way, it’s understandable that people have extremely high expectations of him because of it. But I’ve seen data showing that across all competitions, no player in the Premier League has created more scoring chances than Wirtz so far.”
“I truly hope the analysis can be more in-depth, instead of only focusing on superficial stats like assists and goals. If someone can’t see Wirtz’s extraordinary talent, they really know nothing about football. To say this transfer has failed now is really an overstatement.”
Gündogan’s advice to Wirtz was: “Be patient and firmly believe in your own ability! But I’m convinced that goals and assists will come soon—either in October or November. In this world, no one, whether a player or an ordinary person, can be completely unaffected by external voices.”
“However, based on my understanding of Wirtz’s character, coupled with his remarkable talent, I believe he will definitely get through this phase smoothly. This is also extremely important for the German national team. Personally, I have no doubts about this at all; I think it’s just a matter of time.”
After joining Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen for €125 million this summer, Wirtz has so far made 10 appearances for Liverpool across all competitions, contributing only 1 goal (and 1 assist) in the Community Shield.
