Roy Keane was proven right about Florian Wirtz after publicly backing the Liverpool midfielder to succeed.
The Germany international had arguably his best game yet in the famous red shirt as the Merseysiders secured a deserved 2-0 win over West Ham on Sunday.
Roy Keane was certain about Florian Wirtz at Liverpool
Florian Wirtz dribbles with the ball for Liverpool.
(Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images)
History tells us that signings over the £100m mark aren’t a certainty as far as success is concerned.
Regardless, Keane was happy to throw the weight of his support behind Liverpool’s record signing as far back as early September.
“I think the physicality can catch players out, but I think he’s got enough quality to be a hit,” the former Republic of Ireland international said on Sky Sports.
Reds legend Jamie Carragher, on the other hand, was a little more cautious in his estimations (and understandably so, so early on in the 2025/26 campaign).
“ Wirtz, too early to tell. He’s obviously got quality, hasn’t he? The only thing I’d say is, and I’m sure he’ll come good because we know he’s got quality, but the question will be, ‘Is he a £116m player?’” the 47-year-old said.
“I think he’ll eventually show that, but you’d want to be one of the best players in the league for that, don’t you?”
What do the stats say about Wirtz at the London Stadium?
It’s fair to say that Florian Wirtz’s best action came in the first half against Nuno Espirito Santo’s men.
Sofascore handed the ex-Bundesliga prodigy a 7/10 rating for his efforts against the Hammers (which falls a little short of what we’d have given him).
Florian Wirtz stats vs West Ham
75 minutes
52 touches
1 key pass
42/45 accurate passes
1 big chance missed
1/2 dribbles completed
3/5 ground duels completed
* Florian Wirtz’s stats vs West Ham in the Premier League (Sofascore)
To be clear, this wasn’t a generational display against Champions League-level opposition, but it was clear to see that the German was able to more easily express himself on the pitch.
For the first time since, perhaps, the 1-0 win over Real Madrid, Wirtz was able to find pockets of space and time on the ball to impact the game creatively.
There was one moment just after the 15-minute mark that would have perhaps yielded a goal (with a more match-fit, switched-on Alexander Isak), as the playmaker fizzed in a dangerous ball into prime striker territory.
Florian Wirtz vs West Ham 🎥pic.twitter.com/mUc4TvF2NS
— FlorianFlicks (@FlorianFocus) November 30, 2025
Jamie Carragher: This was Wirtz’s best performance yet in the Premier League
Jamie Carragher was effusive in his praise of the Liverpool summer signing, describing Sunday’s outing as Wirtz’s ‘best Liverpool performance by far’.
“He likes the inside-left channel,” the former Red told Sky Sports.
“When you think of Kevin De Bruyne, where do you think of him? You think of the inside right position; you always picture him on the ball in that position. That’s where Florian Wirtz needs to play.”
The MNF pundit went on to add: “This was better, this is exactly where they want him on the pitch, this is where he’s at his best.
“That’s why his performance today was his best Liverpool performance by far.
“He’s had other good performances, but mainly in Europe. In the Premier League, that was the best we’ve seen so far.”
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