£116m signing struggles early

Florian Wirtz joined Liverpool in summer 2025 as one of world football's hottest talents, but has disappointed in his opening games. Fans and pundits are already questioning whether the investment will pay off.

Carragher questions the signing

Jamie Carragher suggested Wirtz's 2025 transfer was part of the worst transfer window in Premier League history. He said Wirtz isn't in poor form, but rather showing his true level, which may not justify the fee.

“I don't think Wirtz is in poor form since he came to Liverpool. I think what we're seeing is what he is.”

One assist in six games

Wirtz has managed just one assist across his first six appearances this season. Carragher called his performance in the 1-0 win at Bournemouth one of the poorest he'd seen from him in a Liverpool shirt.

Manager sees improvement

Manager Andoni Iraola was more optimistic, noting Wirtz started slowly at Bournemouth but improved significantly in the second half and helped the team improve overall.

“After that first phase, we improved. Florian has helped us also to improve.”

The Bournemouth stats tell a story

At Bournemouth, Wirtz created three chances (joint-most for Liverpool), won six of eight duels, and won possession four times. But he completed only 70.3% of his passes and lost the ball 15 times.

Possession loss is misleading

Wirtz lost possession 15 times, but creative midfielders who play risky passes in busy areas naturally lose the ball more. This stat alone doesn't tell the full story of his performance.

He helped create the winning goal

Wirtz made a near-post run in the second half that led to Alexander Isak scoring the winner, though it didn't count as an assist because the ball touched a defender.

Leverkusen pedigree was real

At Bayer Leverkusen, Wirtz recorded 18 goals and 21 assists in 69 games over his first two seasons. He then tore his ACL in March 2022 and missed 10 months.

Unbeaten Leverkusen season

After his return from injury, Wirtz played a central role in Leverkusen's incredible 2023-24 campaign. They won the Bundesliga unbeaten, the DFB-Pokal, and reached the Europa League final.

Elite output at Leverkusen

In that unbeaten season, Wirtz recorded 18 goals and 19 assists in 47 games. He was the only player in Europe's top five leagues to record at least 16 goals and 16 assists in all competitions.

Disappointing Liverpool debut

Wirtz recorded only 7 goals and 8 assists in 49 games in his first season at Liverpool. It took until late December to register his first league goal as the champions finished fifth without a trophy.

Liverpool's chaos affected him

The death of Diogo Jota cast a dark cloud over the club, and new manager Arne Slot struggled to get the team playing coherently. Wirtz was Liverpool's most creative outlet in open play, creating 95 chances from open play.

World Cup showed promise

Wirtz managed three assists in four games for Germany at the World Cup before they were eliminated on penalties by Paraguay. Only two players had more assists at that stage of the tournament.

Improved stats this season

This season, Wirtz has made 19 progressive passes (joint 16th in the league) and 43 line-breaking passes at 9.6 per 90, nearly double his 5.2 per 90 last season. He's working harder to create.

Defensive work is up

Wirtz has won possession in the opposition's final third six times (only five players more), applied 419 pressures (only five more), and received 260 pressures. He's doing more defensive work than last season.

Too early for final judgment

Wirtz is 23 years old in his first season at the strongest league in the world. Six appearances into a new season is too early to make damning conclusions about a player still finding his feet.

Fee creates unfair pressure

The £116m transfer fee means Wirtz is judged harshly against his cost. Players like Paul Pogba faced similar criticism at Manchester United, with the fee amplifying expectations and criticism.

World-class players have failed here

Even world-class players have struggled in the Premier League. Michael Ballack, another highly rated Bayer Leverkusen midfielder, never found his best form at Chelsea after joining from Bayern Munich in 2006.