Jamie Carragher has warned that this season is make-or-break for Liverpool star Florian Wirtz, insisting the German international must show he is a £115million game-changer rather than a £40million useful squad player.
The 23-year-old endured a difficult campaign last season for the then-defending Premier League champions. Liverpool beat Premier League rivals Manchester City and Bundesliga side Bayern Munich to sign the playmaker from Bayer Leverkusen, opting against a move for Rayan Cherki, who joined Manchester City instead.
Struggles in front of goal
Wirtz managed five goals and four assists in the Premier League in 33 appearances, adding one goal and four assists in the Champions League. The technician showed quality and creativity in abundance, but the output did not match Liverpool's struggles in the final third.
Writing in The Telegraph, Carragher said: "Florian Wirtz faces a make-or-break season, but more is at stake than his Liverpool career as he belatedly seeks to establish himself in the Premier League."
"English football needs Wirtz to succeed as much as Andoni Iraola, the new coach at Anfield... How Wirtz fares at the start of this season will indicate whether he will be viewed as the right signing in the wrong era for Liverpool, moving to Merseyside just as the Premier League's preferred style reverted to set-piece dominance."
Doubts over physical challenge
"The jury is out on whether he possesses the tools to overcome the physical challenge. I must admit, I have my doubts... Even at his best, Wirtz has looked 'neat and tidy' rather than the killer in and around the penalty box one would have expected given his fee and reputation."
"He has resembled a useful squad addition for about £40m rather than a game-changer who cost £115m... 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."
"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."
Wirtz's road to Anfield
Wirtz came to Merseyside in hot form, less than two years on from leading Leverkusen on an unbeaten campaign to win the German title. In the two years prior to joining the Reds, he made double figures in goal contributions with 11 goals and 12 assists in 2023/24 before 10 goals and 13 assists in his final campaign in Germany.
Reflecting on a disappointing campaign after the 3-2 defeat to AS Monaco in pre-season, Wirtz said: "I'm just trying to make my job better. To make the team better and I don't think too much about how important I am, I just want to make the club successful."
"I just want to be the best version of myself. I try my best to win as many trophies as we can win and I'll try to play my part this season."
"I've played one year now in England and I've said often enough that it's a different style of football than in Germany. You just get used to the games and your opponents. I just know how it is now, so I'm happy to have my next season."
"I definitely learned a lot (from his first season). I just learned how Premier League football is played and I think I am more ready for my second season because I know how it is now. I am really excited for my next season."
"I have not spoken about the style so much [with Iraola], I think he has his ideas of playing football and we just have to work on that even more now."
Wirtz will be looking to make an immediate impact for Liverpool in their Premier League opener against Newcastle on Sunday.
