When Liverpool secured the signature of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, the reaction around English football was immediate. You could almost feel the collective shock of Premier League rivals. One of the brightest young footballers in the world joined a side already on course to the 2024-2025 title.
Even with a fee of £100 million – rising to £116 million with add-ons – few doubted the investment, other than rival supporters or those unfamiliar with Wirtz’s exploits in the Bundesliga.
It has taken a lot longer than many expected, but Wirtz’s recent form strongly suggests that the player Liverpool expect to build their next era has finally settled into his role.
Curiosity surrounded how he would fit into Arne Slot’s system, yet he immediately offered a promising glimpse by registering an assist four minutes after his competitive debut. A slick pass allowed fellow newcomer Hugo Ekitiké to score against Crystal Palace in the Community Shield at Wembley.
Despite Liverpool opening their Premier League title defense with five straight wins, their performances lacked conviction – and the same was true for Wirtz. His talent was evident in scattered moments, but he often seemed physically outmatched, occasionally making poor decisions and struggling to make the intuitive connections with teammates that had defined his time at Leverkusen.
In Germany, Wirtz had achieved double figures for both goals and assists in consecutive seasons. But despite winning games early on, Liverpool remained without a league goal or assist after that early Community Shield moment. Then came a collective breakdown.
Liverpool fell into a terrible series: nine defeats in twelve league matches, of which only three were won. Wirtz shone in Champions League victories over Eintracht Frankfurt and Real Madrid – providing two assists against Frankfurt – but the fact that both standout performances came against opposition from outside England only strengthened the arguments that adapting to the intensity of the Premier League was proving difficult.
With a high transfer fee and a glowing reputation, criticism inevitably followed. Pundits and rival supporters seized the opportunity and labeled him ‘too lightweight’, ‘overhyped’ and ‘unsuitable for English football’.
However, Slot made it clear from the start that physical adjustment would be essential. When Wirtz left the field looking injured during the 1-0 win over Arsenal in August, his manager made the truth clear: it wasn’t an injury at all.
“After 85 minutes I don’t think he knew he could get cramps in so many places,” Slot joked, describing it as a classic ‘welcome’ to the Premier League. He emphasized that even hugely talented young players from abroad need time to adapt to the physical demands of the competition – something Wirtz was working on.
The wait for a first Liverpool goal continued. He briefly thought he had ended it against Sunderland when his strike was deflected off Nordi Mukiele in a December 1-1 draw at Anfield, before replays confirmed the shot went wide. It was ruled an own goal.
Ten days later there were signs of traction against Brighton. In a 2–0 home win, Wirtz won possession nine times – three more than any teammate – the highest total he had achieved in a Liverpool shirt. And ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Tottenham the following week, the stats told a different story: he had created 25 Premier League chances, at least seven more than any player without an assist in the 2025-26 season. Creativity wasn’t the problem; killing teammates does.
A perfect example came at Stamford Bridge in December. Wirtz came off the bench after a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea and conjured an outrageous reverse touch with the inside of his left foot to set up Mohamed Salah. It would have been a sensational assist had Salah not shot wide.
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But his breakthrough finally came against Spurs. After recovering the ball, Liverpool countered and Wirtz split the defense with a perfectly weighted pass to Alexander Isak – another big-money forward who was still finding a foothold – who rifled home to put Liverpool ahead. Unfortunately, Isak’s momentum was immediately halted when Micky van de Ven’s attempt to block the shot resulted in a broken leg. Wirtz, on the other hand, continued with growing confidence.
That match against Tottenham marked a new milestone: it was the first time he surpassed 100 touches in a Premier League match (105). He repeated this feat in the following match against Wolves (106), where he also eventually scored his first league goal. Moments after Ryan Gravenberch opened the scoring, Ekitiké Wirtz slipped through the middle and calmly poked the ball past José Sá. Relief washed over his celebration, and the reactions of his teammates made it clear how much the moment meant.
Remarkably, his first goal came with his 21st league match of the season. Only Bournemouth’s David Brooks (28) and Liverpool teammate Alexis Mac Allister (22) had tried more without scoring.
Ekitiké’s assist was also one of six goals the duo scored together this season. Wirtz and Ekitiké were involved in more goals between them than any other Premier League duo in 2025-26, with each player assisting the other three times.
His physical adjustment was also reflected in the figures. Against Wolves, Wirtz fought 15 matches and won 11 – both personal bests – indicating how much more comfortable he had become with the pace and physicality of the competition.
Once he broke his duck, the goals started to flow. He scored again in a 2–2 draw against Fulham and again in a 1–1 meeting with Burnley in early January. But it was his performance in Liverpool’s 4-1 win over Newcastle United that really seemed to change public perception. With just 52 touches he scored a goal and an assist, showing he could influence a match without dominating possession.
His dazzling footwork in the first half opened up Newcastle’s defense for Ekitiké’s equalizer at Anfield. His second-half finish – a precise, controlled strike into the bottom left corner after Salah’s pass – gave Liverpool a crucial two-goal cushion.
After producing no goals and just three assists in his first 21 appearances at Liverpool, Wirtz has since exploded with nine goals (six goals, three assists) in his last 11. Since his resurgence began against Tottenham on December 20, no Premier League player has been involved in goals in all competitions.
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So what has changed?
An important shift is the extent of involvement. At Leverkusen, Wirtz scored an average of 83.6 ball contacts per 90 minutes last season. In his first twenty games against Liverpool, that number dropped to just 63.9. Over his last 12 it has risen again to 81.9 – virtually identical to his influence in the Bundesliga.
His touches in opposition have also increased, from 5.0 per 90 in his early appearances at Liverpool to 7.6 more recently. A comparison with a touch map shows that he now operates more often in spaces just off the beaten track, especially on the left side – areas he often used at Leverkusen. Due to injuries to Cody Gakpo, Wirtz was deployed on the left at times, and that seemed to put his best foot forward.
His physical transformation has also helped. He has clearly added muscle, and his duel win rate reflects that: from 36.2% in his first twenty games to 45.5% in his last twelve games – even higher than his success rate in Leverkusen’s 2023-2024 season.
Interestingly, he is now creating fewer chances (2.2 per 90 compared to 2.8 previously), but the quality of those chances has improved. His expected assists per 90 has increased from 0.25 to 0.39. He creates less often, but more dangerously. That probably reflects a better understanding with teammates and more purposeful timing in the final third.
In a recent BBC interview, Wirtz admitted that he had hoped to adapt to the Premier League immediately. “I wanted it to be an instant success,” he said. “But it didn’t happen that way, and I had to stay strong in my thoughts.” He added that he reminded himself that he had not forgotten how to play football – that the game was not entirely foreign in England – and complimented those around him for their support.
One of his lowest moments was the 3–0 defeat to Manchester City in November, where he completed just 24 passes in 83 minutes, his fewest in any league start for Liverpool, while producing two off-target shots and creating no chances. With City visiting Anfield on Sunday, the timing couldn’t be better for Wirtz to show how far he has come.
He has scored in five of his last six home games and with City’s defensive weaknesses becoming increasingly apparent, the stage is clear for him to make a definitive appearance.
Slot praised Wirtz’s growth on Thursday, highlighting his physical and off-ball improvement while noting that his technical brilliance was never in doubt. And on the same day, Wirtz earned a nomination for the Premier League Player of the Month award for January.
Given his enormous price tag, it’s easy to forget that he’s only 22 and still has years of development ahead of him. It’s far too early to declare him a guaranteed Liverpool superstar, but the optimism around his trajectory is much higher than at the start of the season.
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