Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher has leveled harsh criticism at Florian Wirtz and no longer sees the German national team player as part of the LFC squad.
Former pro Jamie Carragher has leveled sharp criticism at Florian Wirtz. The former Three Lions international doubts the value of the 23-year-old Liverpool player, who joined Anfield from Leverkusen in the summer of 2025 for 125 million euros. “I don’t think we’re seeing a massive drop in performance,” the LFC legend (642 games) speculated on Sky Sports. “What we’ve been seeing for the past year is probably what he is: a decent soccer player.”
Carragher doesn’t see Wirtz as a player who “should be worth 110 million pounds, but rather someone who’s probably worth 50 to 60 million pounds, give or take.” Harsh words from the former defender, who describes Wirtz’s qualities as “decent” and at least credits the German national team player with having “good ball control.” “I’m not sure what people are expecting.”
If it were up to the 48-year-old, Reds coach Andoni Iraola should no longer rely on Wirtz. “What are you supposed to do with him?” Carragher asked, explaining his thinking: “I consider the idea that players need a year to settle into the Premier League to be a myth.” The trigger for Carragher’s criticism was Wirtz’s performance in the Premier League opener at Newcastle, when the former Leverkusen player achieved little; Iraola had substituted him in the 63rd minute.
“I thought this topic wouldn’t come up for another six weeks,” Carragher said, “but it’s already coming up. I don’t see where he fits into the team at all.” Iraola deployed Wirtz as the playmaker in the number 10 position, but Carragher would rather see former Leipzig player Dominik Szoboszlai there—the player who scored the late equalizer from the penalty spot to make it 2-2.
“We can’t keep going like this. It’s not working. It didn’t work last season. I just think we’re slowly reaching the point where he no longer fits into the team,” Carragher added.