Liverpool invested a lot of money this summer as they signed some worldclass players to improve their roster and defend their Premier League crown.
Initially they broke the British record transfer for Florian Wirtz as they lured him from Bayer Leverkusen paying a whopping £116 million ($156m) transfer fee.
A lot was expected from the highly rated 22-year-old sensation especially after his exceptional last couple of years for Leverkusen which generated interest in him from several top European clubs.
However, Wirtz has drastically failed to live up to the expectation as he is yet to register a goal contribution after nine games this season.
The Germany international was signed to inject creativity in this Liverpool team something that they lost with the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid.
But after nine games, Wirtz hasn't adapted to Arne Slot's system and genuinely looked out of ideas playing in the number 10 role.
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
Due to his failures on the pitch, the young German has been subject to a lot of criticism on social media which has also affected his morale as Liverpool have suffered three consecutive defeats across competitions.
Amidst all the negativity, Germany legend Rudi Voller has supported Wirtz publicly and has raised different concerns regarding the other Liverpool players featuring around him.
"He does an incredible amount, runs a lot, sprints a lot, and also drops deep. But he doesn't get passed to him the way he was used to in Leverkusen or the national team. You have to work on that over the course of weeks and months," Voller told Sky90 in the defence of the German Footballer of the Year in 2025.
Most of the Liverpool new signings have flattered to deceive
Liverpool were known for their free-flowing football which helped them win the Premier League crown last season.
However since then, they haven't looked like the same team after the new signings have joined the Reds this summer.
Getty
While Wirtz has been targeted for his slow start to life at Anfield, only Hugo Ekitike has adapted to life at Liverpool.
Other new signings like Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Alexander Isak also haven't looked at their best and the Dutch manager needs to make structural tweaks as we head into the international break.
Despite all of this, Wirtz is expected to do much more especially after finishing with 31 goal contributions last season for Leverkusen.
The 22-year-old is still adapting to the pace and intensity of the Premier League, but the fans are gradually getting impatient. Therefore, he needs to use this international break to rejuvenate and return with fresher ideas.
Wirtz actually started with an assist in the FA Community Shield against Crystal Palace, but the Reds eventually lost that game on penalties and things have gone south for him since then.
Liverpool may have lost three consecutive games this season, but they have too much quality in their roster to not bounce back from this tough phase.
Liverpool news and related links
- Liverpool boosted as Premier League rivals make Marc Guehi transfer decision
- European giants fire five-word rejection on Liverpool's Salah replacement plan
- Liverpool's massive Michael Olise outlay unveiled in Salah succession plan