Carragher casts doubt on £115m Wirtz ahead of make-or-break Liverpool season

Jamie Carragher has publicly questioned whether Florian Wirtz can fulfil his £115m price tag at Liverpool, warning that the German faces a defining season at Anfield after a difficult debut campaign that ended with the club 25 points behind champions Arsenal in fifth place.

Writing in a column for the Telegraph, the former Liverpool defender said the jury remains out on Wirtz’s suitability for English football. “I must admit, I have my doubts,” Carragher wrote. “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.”

Carragher was blunt in his assessment of Wirtz’s first season, which saw the 21-year-old arrive from Bayer Leverkusen but struggle to string together consistent performances as Arne Slot’s title defence collapsed. “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,” Carragher wrote. “He has resembled a useful squad addition for about £40m rather than a game-changer who cost £115m.”

A central concern raised by Carragher is positional. Slot was forced to deploy Wirtz on the left wing rather than in his preferred role as an attacking midfielder, and Carragher suggested new head coach Andoni Iraola could face the same dilemma. Iraola’s system is built around out-and-out wingers, and if Wirtz fails to make an early impact, Carragher warned that pragmatism may again override attacking ambition.

“If Wirtz does not have the desired impact in the early games this season, it is not difficult to foresee history repeating itself,” Carragher wrote. “Given Iraola sets up his side with out-and-out wingers, such circumstances would raise serious doubts about Wirtz’s future.”

While Wirtz arrived as part of a headline summer window that also brought in Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, Carragher noted that only Ekitike made a meaningful impression across the campaign.

Wirtz’s backers argue that a full pre-season and greater familiarity with English football could unlock a different player in 2026/27. Liverpool open their season against Newcastle at St James’ Park on Sunday, 23 August.