Florian Wirtz’s Make-or-Break Season at Liverpool: Carragher's Doubts
Jamie Carragher casts doubt on Florian Wirtz’s Premier League future, warning that Liverpool’s £115m midfielder is heading into what he calls a “make-or-break season” at Anfield.
Carragher, writing in his Telegraph column, questioned whether the Germany international has the physical profile to truly thrive in England, arguing that the 21-year-old has so far looked more like a solid squad player than the elite game-changer Liverpool thought they were buying.
From De Bruyne hopes to “neat and tidy” reality
When Wirtz arrived from Bayer Leverkusen last summer for a fee that shattered Liverpool’s transfer record, the expectation inside Anfield was clear: this was the club’s answer to Kevin De Bruyne. A creator to reshape the attack, a leader of a new era.
That never materialised.
Liverpool’s title defence collapsed, Arne Slot departed at the end of the season, and Wirtz’s debut campaign drifted by in fits and starts. There were glimpses of his technical class, but no sustained run of form as the team slumped to a fifth-placed finish.
“The jury is out on whether he possesses the tools to overcome the physical challenge. I must admit, I have my doubts,” Carragher wrote, laying bare his concerns about Wirtz’s ability to cope with the intensity and athleticism of the league.
The comparison with De Bruyne, he argued, has only highlighted the gap.
“When he joined Liverpool, the hope at Anfield was that Wirtz would dominate in the same manner as Kevin De Bruyne did. But the German does not have the athleticism or running and shooting power of De Bruyne.
“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.”
Tactical squeeze under Iraola
Those close to Wirtz argue that foreign signings often need a season to adjust to English football. Carragher acknowledged that point, but warned that time and tactical space may not be on the midfielder’s side.
Last season, Slot ended up shunting Wirtz to the left wing rather than using him in his preferred central attacking midfield role, a compromise driven by Liverpool’s defensive fragility and the need for more balance.
Carragher fears a repeat.
“If Wirtz does not have the desired impact in the early games this season, it is not difficult to foresee history repeating itself and Iraola realising he must compromise attacking romanticism for pragmatism,” he wrote, suggesting new manager Andoni Iraola could reach the same conclusion as his predecessor.
And that is where the system itself becomes a problem. Iraola favours out-and-out wingers. If Liverpool again need more solidity, Wirtz could be the one sacrificed.
“Given [Andoni] Iraola sets up his side with out-and-out wingers, such circumstances would raise serious doubts about Wirtz’s future,” Carragher added.
Big window, small returns
Wirtz arrived as the headline act of what looked, on paper, a bold and ambitious summer. Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong all came through the door alongside him, a sweeping rebuild aimed at keeping pace with the league’s elite.
Only Ekitike truly landed a punch.
Liverpool finished 25 points behind champions Arsenal, their season unraveling long before the final weeks. The scale of that gap has sharpened the focus on recruitment – and on whether a £115m playmaker who has yet to bend a game to his will can justify his billing.
The new campaign will not give Wirtz much room to ease his way in. Liverpool open their 2026/27 Premier League season away at Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Sunday, 23 August, at 4.30pm.
A hostile ground, a demanding manager, and a sceptical Anfield watching from afar. For Florian Wirtz, the excuses have gone. What’s left is the answer.
