There’s a growing narrative outside of Liverpool that Florian Wirtz is increasingly destined for the exit door next summer.
SportBILD (via Sport Witness) now reports that the Reds will consider their options in the summer if the player’s struggles continue over the course of 2026/27.
Furthermore, the report claims that the Germany international was inadvertently hindered by Mo Salah last term and that the current setup is not helping him flourish in England.
Does anyone want Florian Wirtz to succeed at Liverpool?
We’re accustomed to the media spotlight falling on Liverpool players.
For years, we’ve seen questions raised about elite stars like Mo Salah despite years of excellence displayed consistently at the highest level.
It’s of absolutely no surprise to us to see Wirtz subjected to the same treatment at home and abroad, with the current expectation being that the former Bayer Leverkusen star’s time at L4 will inevitably be designated a failure. It’s only a matter of time, they say.
Bild, in their defence, are right to point to the price tag and the pressure Florian Wirtz has been unwillingly subjected to at Anfield following his high-profile move to Merseyside.
But if we’re going to bring up the context of 2025/26 – and that goes for any commentator and outlet – why not fully dive into the reality of what went on last year?
While you’re at it, listen to Luis de la Fuente
BILD asked Spain boss Luis de la Fuente if there was a German player he’d like to have in his team: “Florian Wirtz! Incredible player. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a Spanish passport. I really like the way he plays.”
Yes, the reigning Euros and World Cup-winning national coach.
How could anyone thrive in that environment?
We’d like to bring everyone’s attention to this rather poignant quote from ex-Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson, in which the Scot reflected on the 2025/26 season following Diogo Jota’s tragic passing in the summer: “It’s difficult to describe or talk about it, because what we went through was horrendous. If I’m talking about the new signings, they’re coming into a club that is heartbroken, and they’re trying.
“That’s when I felt so sorry for these guys because they had signed and they were signing for big money. If I’m talking about football, when it took them months to settle in, because we were like ghosts. We didn’t care about football. That was the truth of it. We didn’t care about football because we just lost one of our best mates in the changing room.”
How on earth are you adapting in that environment?
How on earth are you coming into the club and building a sense of positive feeling in that environment?
Look, we all hoped that Liverpool’s players would be almost galvanised by the experience, that they could play through the heartbreak. With the benefit of hindsight, that now feels like an incredibly selfish ask.
And if we can forgive the likes of Robertson and Co. for performance levels dipping last term – even excusing Arne Slot’s poor decision-making – we don’t see any reason why we can’t hand Wirtz a clean slate and unburden him of a difficult first campaign at Liverpool.
READ MORE: Andy Robertson leaps to the defence of ‘really special’ Liverpool star after Sky pundit’s jibe
If you’re going to judge the Bundesliga winner, at least be fair and judge him on this season – his true first season, in our eyes. But judge him fairly, eh? Judge him in accordance with the fact that Liverpool are still getting to grips with the demands of a new manager. Judge him on the basis that the forward line isn’t quite ticking at optimum levels. Judge him on the objective reality that we’ve yet to see Florian Wirtz at his absolute imperious best because the environment at Liverpool, a year on, for different reasons, is still not perfect.
But it feels like things are heading in the right direction, for both club and player.
Live Comments
Welcome to our Live Comments section, where new comments will appear automatically
Add a Comment