Overview
- The £116m signing has yet to register a Premier League goal or assist, with six league outings and nine appearances in all competitions to start his Liverpool career.
- After the midweek loss to Galatasaray, Jamie Carragher urged taking Wirtz out of the side, and Wayne Rooney questioned his fit in Liverpool’s system, preferring Dominik Szoboszlai for the No 10 role.
- Wirtz started on the bench at Stamford Bridge and was also a substitute for last month’s Merseyside derby, with Arne Slot citing fixture load and game-specific selection.
- Germany greats Oliver Kahn and Rudi Voller, along with former Liverpool winger Vladimir Smicer, called for patience and predicted Wirtz will adapt and thrive.
- A Sky Sports feature showed supportive messages from family and former coaches that Wirtz said made him emotional, while Peter Crouch drew on his own early Anfield goal drought to back the 22-year-old to turn form around.