Florian Wirtz says there is no ‘timetable’ regarding his future at Bayer Leverkusen. The 21-year-old has been a revelation for Die Werkself and just last season, notched 18 goals and 20 assists across all competitions to deliver an unbeaten Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double, alongside a Europa League final. The form of Wirtz — who scored twice in five appearances for Germany at Euro 2024 this summer — has attracted the attention of some of Europe’s biggest powers, with the likes of Liverpool and Real Madrid heavily linked. However, Leverkusen have always maintained a strong stance that, at least for the short term, Wirtz will remain where he is. “He will definitely stay here 100% this year,” said CEO Fernando Carro in April. Wirtz has now spoken out about his own future, insisting he’s just focusing on the upcoming title defence with Bayer Leverkusen. “I don’t have a timetable, so I don’t even have an idea in my head as far as that’s concerned,” Wirtz told Kicker when asked about his future (via Bulinews). “I’m just really happy to be back playing football after the summer break. Right now I’m just trying to achieve my goals with the team. Then we’ll see what happens at some point – but I don’t have a timetable.” Leverkusen are Germany’s first defending champions other than Bayern Munich since Borussia Dortmund in 2012/13. However, Wirtz is realistic about the threat Bayern pose and insists Leverkusen won’t be ‘arrogant’ in their defence. “Bayern have brought in some players that will strengthen them, of course. But I think the difference between Bayern and the other top teams is not as big as it was in previous years. That’s why we’re not hiding from anyone,” he said. “We are not going to be arrogant, but we know that Bayern Munich are still in the league. Of course, we’ll try to beat them, but they’re still Bayern Munich and you always have to keep an eye on them.”
Florian Wirtz o svojoj budućnosti
Florian Wirtz kaže da ne postoji ‘rokovnik’ što se tiče njegove budućnosti u Bayer Leverkusenu. Ovaj 21-godišnjak je bio senzacija za Die Werkself i samo prošle sezone, postigao je 18 golova i ostvario 20 asistencija u svim takmičenjima, da bi osigurao neporaženu Bundesliga i DFB-Pokal duplu krunu, uz finale Europske lige. Forma Wirtza – koji je ovog ljeta postigao dva gola u pet nastupa za Njemačku na Euro 2024 – privukla je pažnju nekih od najvećih evropskih sila, poput Liverpoola i Real Madrida. Međutim, Leverkusen je uvijek zauzimao snažan stav da će Wirtz, barem za kratkoročno, ostati gdje jeste. “On će definitivno ostati ovdje 100% ove godine”, rekao je izvršni direktor Fernando Carro u aprilu. Wirtz je sada progovorio o svojoj vlastitoj budućnosti, ističući da se samo fokusira na nadolazeću odbranu titule sa Bayer Leverkusenom. “Nemam rokovnik, tako da nemam ni ideju u glavi što se toga tiče”, rekao je Wirtz za Kicker kada su ga pitali o njegovoj budućnosti (putem Bulinews). “Jednostavno sam sretan što se ponovno bavim fudbalom nakon ljetne pauze. Trenutno samo pokušavam ostvariti svoje ciljeve sa timom. Onda ćemo vidjeti što se dešava u nekom trenutku – ali nemam rokovnik.” Leverkusen su prvi njemački prvaci koji brane titulu osim Bayerna od Borussije Dortmunda u sezoni 2012/13. Međutim, Wirtz je realan po pitanju prijetnje koju predstavlja Bayern i insistira da Leverkusen neće biti ‘arogantni’ u svojoj odbrani. “Bayern su doveli neke igrače koji će ih ojačati, naravno. Ali mislim da razlika između Bayerna i ostalih vrhunskih timova nije toliko velika kao što je bila u prethodnim godinama. Zato se ne krijemo od nikoga”, rekao je. “Nećemo biti arogantni, ali znamo da je Bayern Munich i dalje u ligi. Naravno, pokušat ćemo ih pobijediti, ali ipak su to Bayern Munich i uvijek morate imati ih na oku.”