Florian Wirtz is facing heightened scrutiny at Liverpool following his £115 million move from Bayer Leverkusen in 2025. The 23-year-old Germany international endured a mixed first season at Anfield, showing flashes of his quality but struggling to consistently meet the expectations attached to his transfer fee. He finished the campaign with seven goals and 10 assists in 49 appearances across all competitions.
Liverpool were linked with both Wirtz and Rayan Cherki before opting to sign Wirtz, while Cherki later joined Manchester City. Although the two players are often compared because of their creative roles and contrasting transfer fees, it is misleading to present Liverpool’s pursuit as a simple one-or-the-other choice unless that is supported by a direct source.
Jamie Carragher has described the upcoming campaign as a “make-or-break season” for Wirtz. Writing in The Telegraph, the former Liverpool defender said Wirtz had at times looked like “a useful squad addition for about £40m rather than a game-changer who cost £115m.” Carragher’s argument was not that Wirtz lacks talent, but that the midfielder must prove he can cope with the Premier League’s physical demands and become a consistently decisive player.
With Liverpool undergoing substantial change following a difficult 2025–26 season, Wirtz is likely to remain central to the club’s attacking plans. However, it is too early to state that he has definitively become Liverpool’s sole creative leader or Mohamed Salah’s direct successor. Salah’s future and Liverpool’s attacking hierarchy remain separate issues from Wirtz’s development as a No. 10 or advanced midfielder.
Wirtz’s adjustment to English football has prompted debate about his pace of decision-making, ball-carrying and work without possession. Those are subjective evaluations rather than established facts, and should be attributed rather than presented as proven weaknesses. A fairer assessment is that he has not yet consistently translated his Bayer Leverkusen form into Premier League influence, while still possessing the technical ability to become a key Liverpool player.
Alexander Isak provides a separate example of Liverpool’s challenging season. The striker suffered a fractured fibula and ankle injury in December 2025, underwent surgery and returned in April 2026. It would be inaccurate, however, to say he played through a broken fibula or built goodwill by performing while carrying that injury; the injury led to a prolonged absence.
In Liverpool’s attacking system, Wirtz will be judged primarily on whether he can create and finish decisive moments while contributing sufficiently without the ball. The 2026–27 season may be important for his standing at Anfield, but describing it as a final verdict on his Liverpool career would be premature.
