It's rather ominous when Jamie Carragher is berating your performance and demanding that you're axed from Liverpool's starting XI.
"[Lewis] Koumas and [Victor] Munoz were better than the two £100m players," Carragher said on Sky Sports.
“The Florian Wirtz [situation], where he’s almost nailed on that he plays every week in that No. 10 position, it has to stop.
“I think Liverpool have given him enough chances and I think he needs to come out of the team. He’s been here now for 55, 60 games, it’s a lot. It’s a lot and I don’t see it changing."
It's now 56 appearances in a Liverpool shirt for Wirtz and in that period he's returned seven goals and 11 assists in all competitions, of which a total of 10 goal contributions have been recorded in the Premier League.
It works out as a goal or an assist every 3.9 Premier League games. Not a measly return by any means, but it's not the level of productivity for a £116.5million attacking midfielder who has been labelled a "generational talent" to "world-class" and everything in between.
Goals and assists are the ultimate currency, and while it's important not to judge Wirtz on those alone, they provide the backdrop to what's been a wholly underwhelming transfer - and one that could end up being remembered as one of the biggest transfer disappointments in Premier League history.
Wirtz's performance in the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City was his Anfield spell in a nutshell.
For all of the endeavour, enthusiasm to press and encouraging movement, Wirtz shirked tackles, misplaced easy passes and miscontrolled touches. No player lost possession more times (17) than the German.
When Liverpool were crying out for a spark to ignite their forays into the final third, Wirtz was anonymous. In other fixtures you could commend the 23-year-old for having style if not substance, but in this contest he had neither.
Wirtz was supposed to be the fundamental cog in the creation of a Liverpool dynasty under Arne Slot when he joined from Bayer Leverkusen last summer.
In Germany, the playmaker had recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament injury to fulfil his potential as the next Bundesliga superstar, emerging as the orchestrator in Leverkusen's historic undefeated title-winning campaign.
Under the tutelage of Xabi Alonso he annihilated defences in Germany's top-flight, showcasing exceptional flair and sublime precision to tally 37 goal involvements in all competitions. A hotly contested battle to acquire Wirtz unfolded, one that Liverpool won by stumping up a then British record fee.
Given the vast sum Liverpool spent on Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike, very few anticipated the significant drop-off the Reds experienced last term, and Wirtz struggled to acclimatise to the Premier League.
He was afforded an adaptation period. There was an expectation that once Wirtz had opened his Liverpool account, he would flourish. Finally breaking his duck two months after his Reds debut, Wirtz remained concealed until playing a key role in Liverpool's win over Tottenham before Christmas.
Between the 2-1 triumph away at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the 4-1 success over Newcastle United at the end of January, Wirtz scored six goals and registered two assists. His form offered solace during a testing period for Slot's team.
It ultimately proved to be a false dawn. A back injury derailed his campaign and Wirtz registered just one more goal and two assists in a floundering team.
Wirtz could be forgiven. No player was immune from criticism last term. The arrival of Andoni Iraola as Slot's successor provided a fresh slate for everyone. Following a transitional season, it was hoped the presence of the Basque coach would unlock Wirtz's full potential.
Instead his influence has waned.
On the eye, the physicality of the Premier League overawes Wirtz. On current viewing he's not strong enough to hold his own, and not quick enough to keep up with the relentless pace of the game.
For a player who's been lauded for his technical superiority, a lack of confidence has seemingly wiped out his intricate skillset.
Wirtz's underlying numbers suggest not all hope is lost; there might still be a system Iraola can concoct that will extract the German's full potential.
His application cannot be faulted - he ranks top of the pile in the Premier League for distance covered while running and features in the top 10% of his positional peers for defensive contributions and recoveries - but it's with the ball where Wirtz is scrutinised.
Compared to his time with Bayer Leverkusen, Wirtz is having fewer touches in the final third. Seeing the ball less frequently has diminished the quality of his chance creation, with Wirtz averaging 0.11 xA (expected assists) per 90, despite ranking 17th in the Premier League for chances created.
Florian Wirtz 2026/27 Premier League statistics
Metric | Number | Positional rank |
Expected Goals | 0.22 per 90 | 48.1% |
Shots | 2.69 per 90 | 27.3% |
Shots on Target | 0.58 per 90 | 52.3% |
Line-breaking passes | 9.21 per 90 | 11.7% |
Chances created | 2.11 per 90 | 24.7% |
Expected Assists | 0.11 per 90 | 58.4% |
Successful dribbles | 1.15 per 90 | 48.1% |
Touches in opposition box | 3.84 per 90 | 49.4% |
*Statistics obtained from Fotmob.com
Is Florian Wirtz the Premier League's biggest flop?
The lavish price tag is the stick with which Wirtz is constantly beaten. The playmaker has not produced anywhere near the calibre or consistency of performances to justify the once British record fee Liverpool paid.
He plays a pivotal role in helping Liverpool to progress the ball up the pitch with his ability to manufacture space and receive passes, but you don't fork out £116m for a ten who is only effective between both boxes.
Still only 23, age is on his side. Liverpool are evidently a team in transition, and there remains hope that once Iraola's tenure begins to motor, Wirtz will be unshackled.
But there are occasions where a player's skillset just doesn't align with the Premier League. Unless there's drastic improvement, Wirtz will fit into that category.
In terms of him being Premier League's biggest flop, we must remember Manchester United spent €95m on Antony and €85m on Jadon Sancho, another who appeared to have the world at his feet in the Bundesliga but couldn't transfer his attributs into the Premier League.
Lukaku cost Chelsea €115m in 2021 and his return to Stamford Bridge lasted 44 games before heading back to Inter. Let's not forget Arsenal forked out €80m on Nicolas Pepe, while Fernando Torres went from world-class at Liverpool to Sunday league at Chelsea.
However, if there was a prize for the Premier League's biggest let down, Wirtz would be a top candidate.
