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Former Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld has praised the signing of Florian Wirtz (Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Former Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld has praised the club's decision to break their transfer record with a £116million splash for Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, suggesting he's worth every penny.

The Reds topped their previous record transfer fee paid for Darwin Nunez by clinching the deal for the creative midfielder, with Westerveld dubbing Wirtz the "little magician" who could have a significant impact.

"He's definitely worth the money, he's a little magician," he shared with PA news agency, reluctant to draw comparisons but optimistic about Wirtz being a standout player in the coming season.



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Westerveld made his comments while at the inauguration of a Cruyff Court at Liverpool's Lakeside School, which supports pupils with additional learning needs and is named after the Netherlands' legend Johan Cruyff.

Alongside the expected signing of Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez this week, Wirtz's arrival with teammate Jeremie Frimpong and Valencia goalie Giorgi Mamardashvili will push the reigning Premier League champions' outlay over £200m.

This marks Fenway Sports Group's most considerable investment in a transfer window since 2018.

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"Finally, you would say," added Westerveld.

"Last season they only bought (Federico) Chiesa, so they haven't spent in the last couple of years as other teams have but I think it was the right moment now.

"They said all the time 'We only spend a lot of our money on players who are adding to the team' and if you see (Florian) Wirtz, (Jeremie) Frimpong and (Milos) Kerkez they are really exciting players.

"Wirtz is one of the best players in Europe and that is really helpful for Liverpool and it's really exciting to see the team coming together now."

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Westerveld did not know his name would be on the Cruyff Court when he formally opened it on Monday.

"It's a very nice surprise and I am proud to have my name on the court.

"All the legends, from Johan Cruyff to (Frank) Rijkaard, (Marco) Van Basten to Ruud Gullitt and Virgil van Dijk, have their names on courts so for my name to be in there is a big honour."

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