Hoeness believes Liverpool has too many stars, leading to a situation where everyone wants to control the ball and handle it themselves, causing Wirtz to be overshadowed in his first season in England. English newspaper Sportmail quoted Hoeness on 1/12, who stated, "They spent over 500 million USD and had a disastrous season. Liverpool has too many superstars. I often joke that they'll soon have to play with five balls because everyone wants to keep possession. Poor Wirtz, he hardly gets to play with the ball, because Salah, Szoboszlai, and others just want to handle it their way."

Coach Arne Slot and Florian Wirtz during a Liverpool training session in early november. *Photo: Shutterstock*

In summer 2025, Wirtz chose to join Liverpool from a field of interested clubs, including Bayern, for a 170 million USD fee, seeking a Premier League challenge. However, the German midfielder's performance has been subdued; he is often deployed on the left wing and has yet to score or assist in the league. With only 521 touches since the season's start, Wirtz ranks 9th in the Liverpool squad, less than half the touches of Virgil van Dijk or Szoboszlai.

Hoeness revealed that coach Arne Slot had promised to build the team around Wirtz and give him the number 10 shirt, but the reality has diverged significantly. "He received the number 7 shirt, and it is clear Liverpool does not play around Wirtz", Hoeness continued. "At Leverkusen, every ball went through him. But at Liverpool, Wirtz only gets a few touches each half, and if he loses the ball two times, he gets a bad rating."

Hoeness extended his criticism beyond Liverpool to address the broader financial landscape of European football. He urged UEFA and FIFA to strictly enforce financial fair play (FFP) regulations. "UEFA and FIFA will have to ensure that financial fair play is truly applied", the former Bayern chairman emphasized. "Things cannot continue as they are. Most importantly, the current international chaos must end."

To illustrate the vast financial disparity compared to Premier League teams, Hoeness recounted an anecdote. "Before Champions League matches, we always have lunch with representatives of the opposing team. When Chelsea visited, billionaire Todd Boehly spoke casually about spending half a billion, and I wondered: ‘Is that lira or euro?’ It's insane; money means nothing to them", he stated.

Hoeness further revealed that Bayern considered but ultimately decided against signing several high-profile players: Xavi Simons, who moved to Tottenham for 86 million USD; Bynoe-Gittens, who joined Chelsea for 75 million USD; and Benjamin Sesko, who went to Man Utd for 99 million USD. "We made the right decision by not signing any of them", he concluded.

Hong Duy (via Daily Mail, AS)