'The best player in the world' - Florian Wirtz's massive ambition revealed as ex-Bayer Leverkusen head scout has no doubts new Liverpool star will shine in Premier League

Wirtz, one of Germany’s brightest footballing stars, has officially joined Liverpool in a £116 million ($156m) deal after a standout spell at Bayer Leverkusen. The move has generated major buzz and one of the men who helped bring him to the BayArena believes he has all the makings of a Premier League star.

The attacking midfielder played a pivotal role in Leverkusen’s Bundesliga-winning season, impressing with his vision, control, and maturity on the ball. He finished the recent campaign with 16 goals and 15 assists. Now, he continues his career at Anfield, where he’ll be expected to make an immediate impact and eventually lead the midfield into a new era.

Tim Steidten, the former head of scouting at Bayer Leverkusen, recalls how obvious Wirtz’s talent was early on: "There are players you have to scout intensively, and then there are players for whom that's not necessary. If we hadn't known Wirtz as a Koln player back then, it would have been a huge mistake... If you get the opportunity to sign him, you have to do it as a club. Simon [Rolfes, director of sport] and I flew to Portugal because the German Under-16 team played there with Florian. But we actually only flew there to get one last impression of the player. After that, it wasn't a big consideration. He's just a player you don't have to scout - you just have to get him when you get the chance.

"Many people ask me whether he'll make it [at Liverpool]. For me, there's no question about it. My answer is always clear: no question. As far as his footballing abilities go, there's no need to even discuss it. But on a human level, he also has an absolute will to continue developing. I remember our first conversation with him in Simon Rolfes' office well – his parents were there too. Simon asked him: 'Where do you want to go, what do you want to achieve?' And Florian replied: 'I want to become the best player in the world.' There are players from whom you don't immediately believe such a statement. But we immediately believed Florian – and he immediately demonstrated his ambition."

The German midfielder will now look to integrate quickly into Liverpool’s preseason setup, aiming to earn a starting role under Arne Slot. The club sees him as a long-term pillar of their midfield alongside the likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.