Former Liverpool striker Fernando Morientes has urged Florian Wirtz to consider a reunion with Xabi Alonso at Chelsea this summer, drawing parallels with his own disappointing spell at Anfield.
Wirtz's Inconsistent First Season at Liverpool
Wirtz, 23, joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen for £116 million last summer but had an inconsistent campaign, scoring seven goals and providing 10 assists in 49 appearances. He is currently on holiday after Germany's shock early World Cup exit to Paraguay but is expected to join new head coach Andoni Iraola's squad for the US tour later this month.
Morientes Points to Own Anfield Experience
Morientes, who signed for Liverpool from Real Madrid in January 2005 but managed only 12 goals in 61 appearances, told Reviant: "Would Florian Wirtz consider a reunion with Xabi Alonso at Chelsea? He hasn't found his level in his first season, and I think what he needs is a change of scenery to get back to his best."
Morientes added: "I'll put this in the context of something similar that happened to me. I'd played for Madrid, done well, gone to Monaco, done well, and yet when I went to Liverpool I never found my best version. I quickly realised that maybe that wasn't the right place for me. I needed to find my best version, and I needed the team and the coach around me to suit my style too. I decided pretty quickly that I had to go and play for Valencia, because I felt that environment suited my characteristics better. And I wasn't wrong: I went to Valencia, started scoring again, felt comfortable, and even made it back into the national team."
Alonso's Interest and Transfer Fee Speculation
Morientes believes Alonso, who managed Wirtz at Leverkusen, could build a team around the midfielder. "I think he himself probably realises he's not quite in the right context, and Xabi Alonso's interest is very interesting for that reason. Why? Because Alonso got performances out of him before, he understands him, he can build a team designed around him too," Morientes said.
On a potential transfer fee, Morientes said: "What could Liverpool ask for him? They'll say at least what he cost, but I don't think anyone's going to pay that. If he'd shown he was at that level, sure, but with a bit less, maybe 25, 30, even 35% less, I could see them asking for that, because he's a great player. But I don't know if Chelsea would be willing to pay that much. So it depends on Liverpool: whether they want to try to get performances out of him, which maybe they won't manage, or let him go and let the lad be happy somewhere else."
