Overview
- Wirtz said on Sunday he feels better prepared for a second Premier League season and has been used in his preferred No.10 role by new coach Andoni Iraola.
- He delivered five goals and four assists in 33 league appearances last season, a total of nine scorer points that contrasts with Liverpool's reported fee of about €125m/£115m.
- Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has framed this year as make-or-break and questioned Wirtz's adaptation to the Premier League's physical demands while pundit Tony Cascarino has also been sharply critical.
- By contrast, Mats Hummels posted a public forecast on X predicting at least 25 scorer points and possibly more than 30 in the league, a bullish projection that raises expectations before Liverpool's opener at Newcastle.
- The season's opening matches, starting against Newcastle where striker Nick Woltemade also carries scrutiny, will shape whether Wirtz justifies the transfer fee and influence wider debate about the Premier League's appeal to technical playmakers.