Bayern’s Hoeneß Accuses Liverpool’s Slot of Broken Promise to Wirtz
MUNICH – Bayern Munich honorary president uli Hoeneß has publicly accused Liverpool FC manager Arne Slot of failing to deliver on promises made to German international Florian Wirtz during transfer negotiations this summer. Hoeneß claims Slot pledged Wirtz the iconic number 10 shirt and a central role in a team built around him, assertions he says have proven false.
“Apparently Slot promised him somthing that he is now clearly not keeping,” Hoeneß stated Monday at the “Sport Marke Medien” congress in Munich. He elaborated that Wirtz was assured he would receive the number 10 shirt and that the team would be constructed around his talents, but instead received the number 7 and will not be the focal point of the squad. The failed transfer has sparked criticism of Slot’s conduct and raises questions about trust in future negotiations between the clubs.
Hoeneß expressed concern over Wirtz’s potential role at Liverpool, stating, “He got all the balls in Leverkusen. In Liverpool he gets five balls in a half – and if two are lost,he gets a bad grade.” He further suggested the presence of numerous stars at Liverpool necessitates each player having their own ball, potentially limiting Wirtz’s influence.
The Bayern executive also dismissed Liverpool’s current season as “almost over” due to a notable gap behind Premier League leaders Arsenal FC, whom he described as “the best team in the world at the moment.” hoeneß defended Bayern’s decision to forgo pursuing other high-profile targets like Xavi Simons, Jamie Gittens, and Benjamin Sesko, and acknowledged the difficult but necessary decision to allow club icon Thomas Müller to depart.
