Liverpool are reaping the benefits of their investment into facilities at Anfield and their AXA Training Centre, including a key role in signing Florian Wirtz.
Wirtz is set to arrive at the AXA Training Centre next week to finalise his £116 million move from Bayer Leverkusen, with a medical scheduled and a contract to sign.
It won’t be the first time the 22-year-old has visited Liverpool’s training ground, however, as he was part of the Leverkusen squad who trained there after their 4-0 defeat at Anfield in the Champions League in November.
That invitation towards Xabi Alonso and his side may have been an innocent gesture, but it at least inadvertently helped the club sign both Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong.
The Mail‘s Lewis Steele and the Mirror‘s Chris McKenna are among those to report that the facilities at the AXA Training Centre “impressed” and helped “convince” Wirtz to opt for Liverpool over Bayern Munich.
Liverpool opened the new training ground in Kirkby just under five years ago, having renovated their existing academy facility to accommodate all age groups.
With state-of-the-art facilities required for a club with world-class aspirations, a £50 million investment was made to ensure everything was perfect.
Further changes have been made in the years to follow, including most recently a coffee bar installed in the entrance foyer which has been more important than it would have first seemed.
It is a stark contrast to Bayern’s Sabener Strasse, their training ground since 1949, which has not been improved since in 2008 and is noticeably dated.
Fenway Sports Group’s commitment to expanding both the Main Stand and the Anfield Road Stand at Anfield will undoubtedly have played its part too, with over £210 million spent on a modern update of the historic stadium.
The attention to detail will not go unnoticed by players, their representatives and their families when they consider moves to Liverpool.
While FSG have attracted criticism during a series of quiet transfer windows, often perceived as lacking the ambition Liverpool’s rivals have shown, theirs has always been a long-term vision.
Investment into facilities at Anfield and the AXA Training Centre are arguably even more important than any one signing – as their impact can be felt for considerably longer.
Wirtz’s imminent transfer is a testament to that, with his ability to see himself clocking in for sessions every day at the AXA helping Liverpool beat the German champions to his signature.
