Florian Wirtz of Bayer Leverkusen recently officially transferred to Liverpool, and former German international Jonas Hector expressed his disappointment over this decision.
Wirtz ultimately did not choose Bayern Munich, despite the Bavarian club's enormous efforts to sign him. At least from Hector's perspective, Bayern had strong reasons to pursue Wirtz.
Hector said, “I would have been happy if he could play for Bayern Munich, especially considering the national team and next year's prospects. Because there, you can integrate into the team better. That's why I had hoped to see him join Bayern Munich.”
Hector believes that if Wirtz had transferred to Bayern Munich, it would also enhance the German national team's chances at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. However, Wirtz signed a contract with Liverpool until 2030. Hector speculated, “At the end of the day, it must also be about money, and clubs like Liverpool have a considerable advantage in that regard.”
Wirtz himself defended his decision to join Liverpool by stating that he wanted to join "one of the top three clubs in the world." He also expressed his ambition to go further in the UEFA Champions League. But in Hector's view, Wirtz could have achieved the same goal at Bayern. "I think Bayern fundamentally performs quite well. Bayern's goal is the Champions League. I believe they will easily win the league title next year, and then everything will revolve around the Champions League, which is the standard to judge Bayern," he said.
However, Hector also admitted that Bayern still needs to improve its squad. "Liverpool's current squad may be superior, especially in terms of squad depth," Hector explained. "Bayern still needs to address certain positions. It depends on how Eberl performs."
