When Liverpool paid Bayer Leverkusen £100 million for Florian Wirtz in June 2025, with a further £16 million potentially payable in add-ons, they were not buying a promising youngster who might develop into a world-class player.
They were paying a premium for somebody expected to make an immediate impact.
Fifteen months later, there are legitimate questions about whether the German international has come anywhere close to justifying that investment.
At 23, Wirtz undoubtedly has time on his side. But how much longer should Liverpool and their supporters be expected to wait before concluding that the club has made an expensive mistake?
It was no coincidence that he was the first to be hooked off in the match against Manchester City at the weekend.
With several established stars missing through injury, Wirtz should have been taking his chance to star in a match, because of the background, watched by hundreds of millions around the world. Instead, he was largely a peripheral figure, anonymous for most of the time he was on the pitch.
Wirtz’s Premier League statistics make uncomfortable reading. In 39 appearances, he has scored just five goals and contributed four assists. For an attacking midfielder who arrived with such a considerable reputation, that is a disappointing return.
Of course, footballers cannot be judged purely on goals and assists. Creativity, movement, passing, and the ability to influence matches are equally important. Wirtz has demonstrated glimpses of the talent that persuaded Liverpool to invest so heavily in him. But glimpses are not enough – for a player who commanded such a substantial transfer fee, Liverpool are right to have expected much more.
And whilst mitigation may lie in the fact that it can take time to adapt to the rigours and pace of the Premier League, those excuses are becoming increasingly thin.
At the age of 23, Wirtz still might become a Liverpool great, but patience is finite, and even the most ardent Liverpool fan must admit that the German has been a major disappointment so far.
There is also the opportunity cost. Liverpool could have used the money spent on him to strengthen several other positions in the team, something that the match against City suggests was needed.
It may be too early to write him off, especially for those who made the decision to buy him in the first place.
But he is already in danger of becoming a Premier League white elephant.
