Florian Wirtz has underwhelmed since joining Liverpool in 2025 but it is early to write him off
Florian Wirtz has looked short of the £116m expectation since signing for Liverpool in the summer of 2025, the 23-year-old playmaker’s form prompting debate as of 23 September 2026. While his early displays for the champions have drawn heavy criticism, commentators and data point to mixed evidence rather than a definitive verdict.
Wirtz arrived at Liverpool as one of Europe’s most highly rated young attacking midfielders after starring for Bayer Leverkusen and Germany, and the club’s 2025 recruitment raised expectations that he would be an immediate game-changer. Last season’s difficulties for Liverpool, compounded by wider issues at the club, meant Wirtz and other new signings struggled to make the expected impact. Discussions among supporters this summer centred on how long he and fellow nine-figure signing Alexander Isak should be given, with a consensus reportedly aiming for Christmas; early results accelerated scrutiny. The opening-day 2-2 draw at Newcastle intensified doubts about both Wirtz and Isak.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has been among the loudest critics, describing Liverpool’s 2025 window as potentially part of the “worst transfer window in Premier League history” and singling out Wirtz on a Sky Sports podcast. Carragher said: “The reason I worry is, I don’t think Wirtz is in poor form since he came to Liverpool. I think what we’re seeing is what he is,” and added: “The worry for Wirtz now is that what he’s given Liverpool is so low. Where we were expecting him was to take Liverpool to another league title, to take Liverpool to a Champions League. The gap he’s got to close to justify what people were expecting I almost think is too big. You can’t get there. Even if he improves a bit, it’s still not what Liverpool thought they were getting. Andoni Iraola’s got a decision to make here. Wirtz would not be in my Liverpool team.” Carragher also called Wirtz’s showing in the 1-0 win at Bournemouth “one of the poorest I’ve ever seen him in a Liverpool shirt.”
Iraola offered a more measured assessment after the Bournemouth victory, saying: “He started the game slowly. After that first phase, we improved. Florian has helped us also to improve. Second half he was playing much better, he was finding better spots to receive and turn. I’m much more happy with his second half.” Statistically in that match Wirtz created three chances, the joint-most for Liverpool alongside Cody Gakpo; won six of eight duels; and won possession four times, behind only Alexis Mac Allister (seven), Ronald Araújo (six) and Jérémy Jacquet (six) among the visitors. He has one assist in six appearances this season.
Match-level data also underlined the mixed picture: Wirtz completed 26 of 37 passes (70.3%) at Bournemouth and lost possession 15 times before leaving in the 71st minute — more than most on the pitch though fewer than Araújo (24) and Gakpo (16). A near-post run from Wirtz in the second half led to the ball falling to Isak for the winner, but the goal was not credited as an assist after a defender touched the ball en route. Analysts note that creative players attempting risky passes in crowded areas often register higher counts of possession lost.
There have been notable contributions amid the criticism. Wirtz produced a key pass for Víctor Muñoz in the 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest and supplied the chance that would have been an assist in Liverpool’s 2-1 Champions League win over Atlético Madrid had Bradley Barcola not missed. He was denied a hat-trick for Isak by an offside flag at Ipswich, and at international level he made three assists in four World Cup games for Germany before their last-32 elimination on penalties to Paraguay; only two players had more assists at that stage and only five players created more chances from open play than his nine.
Season-to-date metrics show some areas of improvement: Wirtz has made 19 progressive passes in the league (joint 16th), level with Martin Ødegaard and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and 43 line-breaking passes at a rate of 9.6 per 90 compared with 5.2 per 90 in the Premier League last season. Off the ball, he has won possession in the opposition final third six times (only five players have done so more often), applied 419 pressures (only five players have applied more) and received 260 pressures (only six players received more). He ranked joint 12th, 21st and 27th in the Premier League for those respective metrics last season and has covered the most distance of any Liverpool player in three of his five Premier League appearances.
Wirtz’s pedigree at Leverkusen remains part of the debate: after joining from FC Köln at 16 he recorded 18 goals and 21 assists in 69 games across his first two full seasons, suffered an ACL tear in March 2022 and missed 10 months, then played a central role in Leverkusen’s double-winning 2023-24 campaign. That season he recorded 18 goals and 19 assists in 47 games, was the only player from Europe’s top five leagues to record at least 16 goals and 16 assists in all competitions, and helped a side that won the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal and reached the Europa League final where defeat to Atalanta was their only loss. In his final season before moving to England he scored 16 goals and provided 14 assists, with 12 assists from open play — only Mohamed Salah (18) and Lamine Yamal (13) had more among players from Europe’s top five leagues.
Wirtz’s debut campaign at Liverpool produced seven goals and eight assists in 49 games; his first league goal arrived in late December as a troubled title defence ended with the champions finishing fifth and without a trophy. The club also endured the death of Diogo Jota and a period in which Arne Slot struggled to establish coherence. Patience has been shown, and more is required for now. It still feels too soon for sweeping statements and loud conclusions.