Lothar Matthaus Reveals How Bayern Munich Missed Out on Florian Wirtz

A dispute between former Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic and former head coach Hansi Flick over the possible 2021 signing of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen has been clarified by Bayern Munich icon Lothar Matthaus.

Salihamidzic and Flick apparently disagreed on a number of transfer moves, including Wirtz, while Flick was managing Bayern. The club lost the chance to capture the young star because Salihamidzic objected to Flick’s plan to bring him to Bayern. After a strong tenure that featured a treble-winning season but was tainted by internal strife, Flick finally left the team in 2021.

Matthaus’ Explanation

In an interview with Sky Sports Germany, Matthaus shared: “Why did the argument with Hasan Salihamidzic happen? Florian Wirtz was a point of argument and discussion between Hansi Flick and Bayern Munich. He would have been available. But at Bayern Munich, they didn’t want him, and Hansi Flick wanted him. Apparently, Hasan did not want him.”