Leverkusen sports director Rollfers was interviewed by Bild and talked about the relevant situation of Werz's transfer. You have completed the biggest transfer deal in German and English football history, what does that mean to you? "This i...
Leverkusen sports director Rollfers was interviewed by Bild and talked about the relevant situation of Werz's transfer.
You have completed the biggest transfer deal in German and English football history, what does that mean to you?
"This is indeed a special thing, and as a club, we can be as proud of it as the players. We introduced Wilz, who was only 16 years old at the time, and established a very trusting relationship with him and his family. With us, he grew up to be a world-class star. With his training style, game performance and ambition, he has taken the club to the next level with other players in five and a half years, and he is also improving every year."
Liverpool paid nearly 140 million euro transfer fees for Wilz. Is such a huge deal harder than a 14 million euro transfer?
"The difficulty is that when the transfer fee is 14 million euros, there are many clubs that can be chosen. For players like Florian, at most, only five clubs can afford the fee. In the end, Florian's request is that the transfer will satisfy everyone. He also made it clear that he hopes Leverkusen can be happy with the result."
Wilz said that he only considers the top three clubs in Europe, Liverpool is one of them, and what are the other two clubs?
"In my opinion, except for Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester City are clubs that dominate Europe in recent years. I think they still have such strength at the moment. Wiltz may not have thought of Bayern, although the latter has long wanted to sign him, but you have to ask Florian himself for this question."
How helpful will Wiltz's growth and transfer be to attract more top stars in the club?
"Florian's growth has been very helpful to us, and we have other successful examples, such as Havertz's 100 million European transfer to Chelsea in 2020, Mousa Diaby joined Villa in 2023, and Flynnon recently transferred to Liverpool, and they all successfully ranked among the top players in the world. It is particularly worth mentioning that Florian brought about, who had hoped to enter the top 16 clubs in Europe five years ago. Now, we have risen to 13th in the UEFA ranking. The players have grown here, and we have also improved as the players have grown."
When a top player leaves Leverkusen, are they only considering the top five clubs in Europe?
"I think so, those teams ranked sixth (like Inter) and those between us (like Dortmund, Roma, etc.) are no longer the ideal places for them to pursue higher goals. If our top players choose to leave, what they want to take is the last step, it is to get to the top of the world. When we introduce new players now, we want to find people who are motivated to succeed with us and eventually reach the top."
You We used Havertz's transfer fee to build the squad that won the German double championship in 2024...
"Yes, now we hope to build the next championship team with Florian's transfer fee. We hope to sign players who can help us immediately with their strength, and these players have the potential to grow further. Our goal is to always be in the top four of the league and be able to compete for the championship."
You are one of the closest people Wilz has in Leverkusen, When did he tell you that he wanted to leave?
"This is not a specific moment, but a gradual development process. We have always hoped to renew Florian and stay with him for at least another year. But as time goes by, we gradually feel that he is becoming more and more inclined to transfer now."
What do you feel?
"Since February and March, our conversations have more involved other clubs and leagues. We have always wanted to know what he thinks, and we know who his parents are talking to. Clubs abroad (Liverpool, Manchester City) have also informed us that their approach is very professional and serious." Can
be considered that Wiltz made the transfer decision himself, and his parents have little influence?
"He is 22 years old and has grown up to be a person who can make decisions independently. What is important is that he believes 100% in his decision." When was the decision informed?
"In May, he told us that he decided to join Liverpool."
Is this team suitable for him?
"I think he is very suitable for Liverpool, and the other party is very serious and responsible for him. Florian learned that they are very clear about why he must sign him. This way of treatment is very important to him throughout the negotiation process."
Talking about the negotiation process with Liverpool
"All clubs that contacted in advance are clear about the general situation of the transfer, and we only started to go with Liverpool after Florian clearly told us that he hoped to join Liverpool. In negotiations, I knew from the beginning that the transfer would be successful. Of course, both sides were working hard for their position, but the whole process always respected each other. The relevant personnel of the two clubs were very familiar with each other, so there was no need to meet in person. We did everything by phone, email and video conference. "
In recent years, top stars such as Wiltz, Havertz, Bellingham, Haaland, and Olmo have left the Bundesliga. Is the attractiveness of the league declining?
"We are mainly at a disadvantage in the competition with the Premier League, because their revenue continues to grow, while other European leagues only maintain stable revenue at most. The development of the Bundesliga depends on how many top players we develop ourselves, which is a key factor in making up for the economic advantages of the Premier League."
