Florian Wirtz’s Liverpool career has certainly had its ups and downs.
Signed from Bayer Leverkusen over the summer, the German arrived with high expectations.
However, amid what was a historically bad run of form for Liverpool, Wirtz became a scapegoat for their woes.
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But the versatile midfielder then suffered an injury blow and missed meetings against PSV and Nottingham Forest, which were arguably some of the Reds’ worst displays of the season.
He returned against West Ham on Sunday, and Wirtz was praised for his display.
Then, against Sunderland, while nobody was great, fans lauded the Liverpool star after he rescued them a point.
Florian Wirtz spared Liverpool’s blushes vs Sunderland, rate his performance out of 10!
Florian Wirtz stats for Liverpool vs Sunderland
xA: 0.16
Key passes: 3
Accurate passes: 52/59 (88%)
Passes in opposition half (acc.): 42/50 (84%)
Ground duels (won): 5 (3)
xG: 0.71
Granit Xhaka and Florian Wirtz during Liverpool vs Sunderland
Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images
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Michael Owen makes bold Florian Wirtz claim after Sunderland
While there can be no arguing that we are starting to see a much-improved Wirtz now, Michael Owen’s recent verdict on the player is a step too far.
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Speaking live on Premier League Productions in the aftermath of Sunderland, Owen suggested the 22-year-old is now starting to live up to his price tag.
He said: “He’s getting a little bit better now, Wirtz, I think. And that’s one of the encouraging signs that he’s starting to look like a 125 million pound player.”
For context, Liverpool paid Leverkusen £116m for the player, which is their second-most expensive signing ever behind Alexander Isak.
Florian Wirtz of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool at Etihad Stadium
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Liverpool’s record signings
In truth, given the crazy money now in football, it’s for anyone who costs over £100m to live up to their price tag.
The majority of Liverpool’s record signings have been made in the last five years, and there are certainly a few misses.
Alexander Isak: £125m
Florian Wirtz: £116m
Hugo Ekitike: £79m with add-ons
Virgil van Dijk: £75m
Alisson: £66.8m
Darwin Nunez: £64m plus add-ons
Dominik Szoboszlai: £60m
Naby Keita: £48m
Milos Kerkez: £40m
Luis Diaz: £37m plus add-ons
Three of the top 10, Wirtz, Isak and Milos Kerkez, have not spent enough time at Anfield to justify their fees yet.
That could easily change in the remainder of 2025/26 and beyond but right now, none of the trio have shone on a consistent basis.
In truth, only Virgil van Dijk, Alisson, Luis Diaz, and maybe Szoboszlai were worth the fees, and none of them cost close to Wirtz.
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