Florian Wirtz’s move to Liverpool in 2025 was one of the most touted moves in the history of the club. While the Merseyside club received one of the most promising young talents in the world, the financial provisions associated with it made the move a bit of a complicated one.
The Premier League giants outweighed several top clubs around the world, like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, to land Wirtz at Anfield. Notably, Liverpool even went on to pay a British record transfer fee of £116.5 million, including the add-ons.
The caveat around this deal wasn’t just based on the financial scheme of things but also stemmed from another uncomfortable episode that led to a beef between Wirtz and Sky reporter and transfer market expert Florian Plettenberg.
During the negotiations between Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen, Plettenberg claimed on his X handle that Wirtz is demanding to wear the No. 10 shirt in the team. At Liverpool, that shirt has been worn by midfielder Alexis Mac Allister ever since he joined the side in the 2023-24 season.
🚨🆕 Florian #Wirtz would like to wear the number 10 shirt at Liverpool FC. He currently wears it at Leverkusen as well and the number 17 shirt for Germany. At the Reds, Alexis Mac Allister currently wears the number 10. #LFC are very optimistic about reaching an agreement with Bayer 04 soon. Unless a Liverpool player is included in the deal, Leverkusen are demanding a fee of up to €140–150m. @SkySportDE 🇩🇪🇦🇷
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) June 2, 2025
In that case, Plettenberg’s claims suggested that if Wirtz eventually joins Liverpool, the club would have to take away the No. 10 shirt from Mac Allister, which of course isn’t a good look for the culture of a player and the locker room. Subsequently at that time, Wirtz issued a post on his Instagram stories to clear the air about this entire fiasco.
In his post, the German midfielder clearly refuted the claims that Plettenburg made. “Who says I want the 10. I respect players,” his post read. “Don’t believe everything what’s written.”
Wirtz’s post was an indirect jab at Plettenberg that also questioned the credibility of Florian Plettenberg, especially with the player himself coming out to wash off these claims. As the season went on, Wirtz joined the Premier League side and inherited the No. 7 shirt while the No. 10 remained with Mac Allister.
Things eventually cooled off in that regard, but the cold tussle between Wirtz and Plettenberg hasn’t ceased to exist, and it was quite apparent in the ongoing international break. Wirtz was called up for the national team for the upcoming Nations League games in this window.
In the pre-game press conference ahead of the Germany-Serbia game, Plettenberg was among the journalists who attended it and was eventually chosen to ask a question to Florian Wirtz. The German midfielder’s reaction immediately changed upon hearing Plettenberg’s name, showcasing a bit of animosity that still exists from that chapter last year.
Wirtz’s reaction when Plettenberg was chosen to ask the next question😭😭 Florian Plettenberg was the journalist who spread the misinformation about Wirtz wanting the number 10 jersey https://t.co/8nU8Psy7Qz
— FlorianFlicks (@FlorianFocus) November 12, 2026
Nevertheless, Florian Wirtz is now a crucial part of Liverpool’s midfield along with Alexis Mac Allister. After a bit of shaky performances last season, Wirtz is coming into his own this year and is also leading the team in terms of most chances created this season.
