Michael Ballack expresses concern over Florian Wirtz & Nick Woltemade moving to Premier League

This summer, we saw English top-flight teams continue to dominate the transfer window.

Michael Ballack, a legend of Germany, says he is “fundamentally concerned” about Nick Woltemade and Florian Wirtz joining Premier League clubs this summer.

In a massive transaction that would have cost the Reds £116 million, Wirtz left Bayer Leverkusen to join Liverpool.

Woltemade joined Newcastle United for £65 million from VfB Stuttgart later in the transfer window, with a further £4.3 million potential in add-ons.

Two of the top young players in German football have moved from the Bundesliga to the Premier League, raising doubts about the Bundesliga teams’ ability to nurture them in their own league and their financial pull.

Ballack, who featured for Chelsea from 2006 to 2010, is concerned about what it says about the state of the German top division, but is not shocked that they have made the lucrative moves.

Both Woltemade and Wirtz were targets for Bayern Munich, but they were passed over as Premier League teams spent a lot of money on them.

Ballack explains his reason for being concerned

The 98-cap Germany international believes it is evidence that even the best teams in the Bundesliga find it difficult to compete with the Premier League in terms of both money and competition.

“Of course, English clubs pay insane amounts,” Ballack told Bild. “But even for Wirtz, Bayern were prepared to put together a package worth up to €100 million (£86.5m).”

“And as for Nick Woltemade: That’s a different case. Bayern has a financial budget. The club has excelled for decades by staying out of debt and growing big.

“That’s why I understand why Bayern decided not to pay more than €55 million (£47.5m) for Woltemade. Because the player wasn’t worth more to them.

“But fundamentally, I’m concerned about something else. Let’s take Wirtz as an example: Does it make sense for him and his development to play in the Bundesliga for Bayern for another two or three years?

“Of course, he wins championships there. But is the Bundesliga still a challenge for him at the highest level? No, because the Bundesliga was overtaken by the Premier League years ago.

“That’s the reality. That’s why it’s generally no longer as attractive for the absolute top players. That’s why changes are needed.”

Woltemade will look to make his Newcastle debut on Saturday against Wolves at home, while Wirtz has already participated in Liverpool’s first three Premier League games of the season.

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