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Jamie Carragher has issued a challenge to manager Andoni Iraola to make a difficult call on Florian Wirtz, as just over a year into his Liverpool tenure, the German No. 10—who was meant to define the next era at Anfield—may be nothing more than a "neat and tidy" player worth half of what the Reds shelled out last summer.
Wirtz became Liverpool's first signing to exceed £100 million ($133.9 million), a club-record transfer until Alexander Isak arrived just weeks later. He had won the Bundesliga title with Bayer Leverkusen and posted solid, if unspectacular, goal and assist numbers in Germany. Wirtz was largely given the benefit of the doubt through a disappointing debut season in England, but with each passing game, there is less room to make excuses.
Carragher described Wirtz as "really poor again" during Liverpool's narrow victory over Bournemouth on Sunday. He featured in the No. 10 position and was credited with three chances created, yet his expected assists (xA) stood at just 0.05, while his expected goals (xG) was only marginally better at 0.22. Every shot Wirtz attempted was blocked almost immediately. His overall contribution was mediocre at best, and he offered very little in the areas that truly count.
"Nothing is happening there at all," Carragher lamented on Sky Sports.
"That was one of the worst I've seen him perform in a Liverpool shirt. I've been critical of his lack of numbers. But usually when you watch Wirtz, he's neat and tidy, he holds onto the ball, there are things you appreciate. He wriggles out of tight spots where you'd normally expect your player to give it away."
However, the narrative is beginning to shift, as Carragher no longer believes this is simply a matter of a temporary dip in form. Is this simply the ceiling of Florian Wirtz?
"I'm worried [because] I don't think Wirtz has been in poor form since arriving at Liverpool. I actually think what we're seeing is who he is. It's been nagging at the back of my mind for 12 months.
"I don't see how he's going to cause you problems. It's just neat and tidy. And in some ways, the fee for that kind of player should be half of what Liverpool paid. The concern for Wirtz now is that his performances so far, or what he's delivered for Liverpool, have been so underwhelming. We were expecting him to propel Liverpool to another league title, to guide Liverpool to Champions League glory."
Carragher went on to argue that the "gap" between expectation and reality is "almost too big" for Wirtz to bridge. "You can't get there. Even if he improves somewhat and closes the gap, it's still not what Liverpool believed they were signing."
Carragher referenced Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Everton), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest) and Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa) as attacking midfielders contributing more to their respective clubs than Wirtz is at Liverpool. "Nobody out there would claim Dewsbury-Hall is a better player than Wirtz … but every three or four weeks he chips in with a goal. These players aren't going to command over £100 million, but they're still delivering something for their clubs every few weeks."
Why Dropping Wirtz Is Helpful to Szoboszlai
Carragher doesn't think Iraola would shy away from a bold decision such as dropping Wirtz to the bench, particularly with Liverpool returning to Premier League action after the international break against Manchester City—it was a Wirtz display against City back in November of last season that led Gary Neville to label him a "little boy" playing among men.
Iraola has already shown willingness to bench an out-of-form Ryan Gravenberch for much of the current campaign.
"Wirtz wouldn't be in my Liverpool team. Manchester City at home—for me, he can't be in the starting XI," Carragher said. "What I've admired about Iraola so far is that he's had the courage to make bold calls. Ryan Gravenberch just signed a lucrative five-year contract on big wages. He's not playing. Sooner or later, he's going to have to make a call on Florian Wirtz. I hope it's sooner rather than later. Not because I have anything against Florian Wirtz—I desperately want the lad to succeed. I just want Liverpool to win."
Wirtz being moved to the bench would open up a perfect Dominik Szoboszlai-shaped vacancy in the No. 10 role. The Hungarian has widely been regarded as Liverpool's standout performer since the beginning of last season, but has faced criticism in the early weeks of 2026–27 for lacking the positional discipline—stemming from his natural eagerness to be involved across the entire pitch—expected of a traditional central midfielder.
If Szoboszlai steps into the No. 10 role at Wirtz's expense, Liverpool get the best out of him without the risk of leaving dangerous gaps in the centre of the pitch. If anything, having both Wirtz and Szoboszlai in the same side forces the latter to operate deeper, and as Carragher puts it, "I don't think Szoboszlai is a central-midfield player, I don't."