Updated: 21 Aug 2026 11:51 BST |
4 min read
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Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz only has a matter of weeks to impress at Anfield this season, with the Reds facing ‘embarrassment’ over his lavish transfer fee, according to pundit Jamie Carragher.
Wirtz was seen as a major coup when he arrived at the club 12 months ago in a then-Premier League record €125 million transfer from Bayer Leverkusen.
However, the Germany international failed to replicate the type of form that he showed in the Bundesliga and finished the campaign with five goals and three assists in the Premier League as Arne Slot’s side struggled to qualify for the Champions League.
Carragher sends Wirtz warning
Carragher says that under Andoni Iraola, Wirtz needs an immediate uptick in his form to justify the outlay the Anfield giants made on him – and to prevent the Merseyside club being left red-faced by the immense outlay they made for him.
“Given the repercussions across the side and for his club’s hopes of an immediate recovery after a torrid 12 months, Wirtz simply must perform to the standard of a top-class Liverpool player. Last year he was afforded months to show up. This season he will probably be given only a few weeks,” the former Liverpool defender wrote in The Telegraph.
“Failure to do so would embarrass the club that invested so much in a footballer they presumed to be a symbol of a golden future, and more than probably continue the trend of highly rated attackers believing Spain and Germany a better fit for their abilities.”
Florian Wirtz: The data that disproves the eye test
Wirtz actually performed very well in the Premier League, according to the analysis of SciSports.
The data analytics experts’ data shows that the Liverpool player was the second best player in England’s top-flight when deployed in his favoured No.10 role, outperforming even Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes, who finished the campaign with a record number of assists.
The 23-year-old, though, suffered from enormous expectations when he arrived at the club but fell notably short in terms of his impact in front of goal. In turn, this was hampered by Liverpool’s injury issues throughout their team, but particularly in attack, where both Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike suffered devastating problems.
Nevertheless, Carragher is correct. The data only paints so much of the picture, with fan sentiment also having a role to play. There is an immense amount of pressure building on Wirtz to increase his output this season to something more in line with his transfer fee.
His role under Iraola is likely to change, however. With Dominik Szoboszlai set to operate as an advanced midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 system, Wirtz may find himself pushed out to the left flank.
This is a role that he was infrequently used in during his Leverkusen days, and his adaptation to the position on a more permanent basis will go a long way to determining his long-term future at Liverpool.
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