A senior Bayern Munich official has launched a scathing attack on Liverpool, accusing their squad of being filled with 'greedy' superstars and claiming manager Arne Slot broke a significant promise to summer signing Florian Wirtz.
Hoeness's Explosive Claims on Liverpool's Squad
The controversial comments come from Uli Hoeness, the 73-year-old honorary president of the German giants. He suggests Liverpool's underwhelming season is a direct result of having too many elite players who refuse to share the ball. 'They spent £500 million and are having a disastrous season,' Hoeness told Bild. 'In my opinion, that's because they only have superstars. I always say: Liverpool will soon have to play with five balls because the stars won't give up any of them.'
Hoeness specifically pointed to the plight of Florian Wirtz, Liverpool's £116 million acquisition from Bayer Leverkusen. He alleges that Slot promised the 22-year-old German international the iconic number 10 role and a central attacking position, pledges which have not been kept. 'Poor Florian Wirtz, he doesn't even get a ball because [Mohamed] Salah and [Dominik] Szoboszlai and all the others want to play with their own,' Hoeness stated.
The 'Broken Promise' and Wirtz's Slow Start
Elaborating on the alleged broken agreement, Hoeness said, 'Slot promised Wirtz something that he's now clearly not keeping: building the new team around him with no10 shirt. That was rubbish. He got the number 7 shirt, and the new team is clearly not playing around Florian Wirtz.'
The statistics partly support the narrative of Wirtz's subdued impact. Despite an encouraging performance in the recent 2-0 win at West Ham, the playmaker is yet to register a Premier League goal or assist. He has been deployed in various roles, often on the left wing, and with only 521 touches in the league this term, he ranks just ninth in the Liverpool squad—behind even defenders like Virgil van Dijk.
Bayern's Bitter Reaction to Summer Snub
The broadside from Munich is widely seen as stemming from Bayern's own failed pursuit of Wirtz. Hoeness was among the club executives left 'shocked' when the player, informed by his father Hans-Joachim, chose the Premier League challenge with Liverpool over the traditional step up to Bayern.
Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen also took a thinly-veiled swipe at Liverpool in the summer, referencing their absence from the upcoming Club World Cup. 'With FC Bayern, you can win everything every year... Just look at which clubs are represented there – and, most of all, which (clubs) aren't,' he remarked, highlighting a perceived competitive advantage for his own club.
While Hoeness's critique carries clear bias, it underscores the intense scrutiny on Liverpool's expensive rebuild and the early pressures facing both their marquee signing and new manager Arne Slot. The coming months will determine if Wirtz can silence the critics and become the focal point Liverpool envisioned.
