Florian Wirtz arrived to Merseyside amid much fan fare. His addition was to rejuvenate the Liverpool midfield. Unfortunately that did not happen. And now time seems to have run out.
The German made his Bundesliga debut in 2020. His stature grew at Bayer Leverkusen until he truly came of his own during the 2023/24 season.
Making 49 appearances, the midfielder scored 18 goals as Leverkusen did the Bundesliga and German Cup double. The Bundesliga Player of the Season award too made his way to him as rival clubs showed interest.
Florian Wirtz to Liverpool
Florian Wirtz arrived at Anfield amid a lot of hype (Credits: Imago Images)
Despite interest from several clubs, Wirtz chose to stay on for another season at Leverkusen. He made his Champions League debut as well. Though his club failed to retain the league, Wirtz had another fruitful season.
His 16 goals in 45 appearances attracted European powerhouses. Liverpool won the race with the Premier League champions paying north of £100 million to secure the 22-year old.
In what was expected to be a dream transfer, things didn’t pan out as planned. Players starting in the Premier League have always found life a bit taxing. It was the same for Wirtz, but he found support from his team.
German legends Rudolf ‘Rudi’ Völler voiced his support. Meanwhile Bastian Schweinsteiger and Philipp Lahm felt he needed time to adjust.
Time is ticking for the youngster
Despite all the support, the time is now ticking for the player. Considering his price tag, he was always going to be under the scrutiny. But the numbers are also not helping his cause.
Since his arrival, Slot has featured him in all of Liverpool’s matches. He was rested for the EFL Cup third round tie against Southampton. There is certainly no lack of backing from the manager but the results are just not there.
In his 13 appearances, he has failed to find the net even once. Although he has been a provider three times. But even those have not come in the Premier League. An assist in the Community Shield opener against Crystal Palace and two against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League complete his tally.
Against Brentford too, he had an awful game. His passing accuracy was 76%, the worst of any Liverpool outfield starter other than Mohamed Salah (70%).
He didn’t have any shot on target nor a single accurate pass. He lost four out of his six duels, made one key pass, one dribble and lost possession 14 times. All in all a very forgettable evening.
Under these circumstances, its only a matter of time before the majority of the Kop base call for his head. An early Anfield exit can certainly not be ruled out.
It is not the first time a big ticket outsider has failed to succeed in the Premier League, nor will it be the last.
