Sport
The narrative that Florian Wirtz is a Liverpool flop is well and truly dead
Florian Wirtz was always going to have the weight of expectation on his shoulders this season. Signed for a fee of £116m that was a Premier League record at the time, the German was the focus of criticism when he took some time to acclimatise as a Liverpool player. A narrative was set that he was a flop.
A few months on, that narrative is dead. Wirtz is now one of Liverpool’s best players and is still improving with almost every match he plays. The 22-year-old has registered nine goal contributions in his last 11 appearances in all competitions with Saturday’s performance against Newcastle United arguably his best in red to date.
Liverpool were back to their best as they put the Magpies to the sword. Despite falling behind to Anthony Gordon’s opener, Arne Slot’s side were relentless in their attacking intent. They finished with four, but could have scored even more as Liverpool’s forward line tore Newcastle to shreds.
Wirtz was a big part of this. His dribbling has given Liverpool a different dimension in the final third and was a constant thorn in the side of the Newcastle defenders. The German international does his best work in tight spaces and also carries a threat in quick transition. He’s a one-man attacking hub.
Together with Hugo Ekitike, Wirtz is playing with real confidence. The pair are reminiscent of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres in the way they are powering Liverpool forward, although Wirtz is a slightly different sort of midfielder to the former Reds captain. A better comparison might be Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry.
Whoever Ekitike and Wirtz evoke memories of, the present day reality is that they have given Liverpool something to build their next great team around. The Anfield club spent a lot (roughly £200m) to land the pair amid stiff competition from around Europe and that outlay already looks to have been worth it.
“Everyone should talk about his goals and his actions and how nice this is because this is where pundits or every fan should talk about, because that’s much more important than work off the ball for them,” said Slot when asked about the performance of Ekitike and Wirtz as a duo against Newcastle.
This shouldn’t mask the disappointment of the 2025/26 season for Liverpool. While Slot’s team are still in Champions League and FA Cup contention, they never stood a chance of retaining their Premier League title. It’s clear Liverpool are in the midst of a generational transition.
Their squad rebuild will continue this summer. At least one new central defender is expected to arrive with Ibrahima Konate’s future still to be resolved. Andy Robertson’s departure could also force Liverpool into the market for a new left back. Mohamed Salah’s future is another issue that the club must decide on at the end of the season.
Salah has been a shadow of his former self this season. The Egyptian has scored just four times in the Premier League and has publicly voiced his suspicion that Liverpool want to move him on sooner rather than later. A parting of ways might be best for all parties at the end of the current campaign.
Wirtz is a very different sort of attacker to Salah, but he is a difference-maker like the Egyptian winger. Liverpool have already prepared their forward line for the future with Wirtz frequently dictating things for the Anfield club around the edge of the opposition box. £116m was a lot of money to pay for the German, but he is already starting to repay the faith shown in him.
