Germany legend Michael Ballack says he is ‘fundamentally concerned’ about Florian Wirtz and Nick Woltemade moving to the Premier League over the summer.
Wirtz completed a mammoth deal to join Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen, which could end up costing the Reds £116m. Newcastle United also invested an initial £65m on Woltemade with another £4.3m in possible add-ons.
Both players are highly rated in Germany and Ballack, who played for Chelsea from 2006-10, is not surprised that they have made the money-spinning moves, but is worried what it says about the position the German top flight is in.
Bayern Munich were interested in both Wirtz and Woltemade, but missed out on both targets as Premier League clubs splashed the cash on them.
According to Ballack, the latest development confirms that even Bundesliga’s top club struggles to compete with the Premier League on finances and on the competition it can offer.
Nick Woltemade and Florian Wirtz warm up during the training session of the German national football team at RheinEnergieStadion. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
‘Of course, English clubs pay insane amounts,’ Ballack told Bild. ‘But even for Wirtz, Bayern were prepared to put together a package worth up to €100 million (£86.5m).
‘And as for Nick Woltemade: That’s a different case. Bayern has a financial budget. The club has excelled for decades by staying out of debt and growing big.
‘That’s why I understand why Bayern decided not to pay more than €55 million (£47.5m) for Woltemade because the player wasn’t worth more to them.
‘But fundamentally, I’m concerned about something else. Let’s take Wirtz as an example: Does it make sense for him and his development to play in the Bundesliga for Bayern for another two or three years?
‘Of course, he wins championships there. But is the Bundesliga still a challenge for him at the highest level? No, because the Bundesliga was overtaken by the Premier League years ago.
‘That’s the reality. That’s why it’s generally no longer as attractive for the absolute top players. That’s why changes are needed.’
Wirtz has already played in Liverpool’s opening three Premier League games of the season, while Woltemade will hope to make his Newcastle debut at home against Wolves on Saturday.
