Summer signing Florian Wirtz has impressed with his performances over the last few weeks after a slow start to his Liverpool career
Florian Wirtz celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Newcastle United at Anfield.
Liverpool's Florian Wirtz has been nominated as Premier League Player of the Month for Janaury. (Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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After a challenging start to life at Liverpool, Florian Wirtz has started to show why he was brought to the club in the summer. With that, he has also proven former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp right for the second time.
Following his £116 million arrival from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, the midfielder failed to register a goal or an assist in his first 12 Premier League games. Just after the summer move, Klopp predicted the scrutiny that Wirtz would come under if things didn’t start well.
Speaking to Welt, he said: "There's no question about it, it's an insane sum, and one that a player at Liverpool is aware of if things don't go well for two or three games.
"We all agree that we're talking about a great player here. I know I once said that I'm out if we pay 100 million euros for a player. But the world is changing. That's just the way the market is.
"He's an outstanding player who can give any club something great. Whether he'll make the reigning English champions even better remains to be seen."
As Klopp predicted, there was some criticism of the summer signing following the first few weeks of the season. Speaking after Liverpool’s 1-0 Champions League defeat against Galatasaray back in September, club legend Jamie Carragher called for the player to be dropped from the starting line-up.
"There's a few problems there that he's [Arne Slot] got to fix - and it'll now be really interesting how he goes about it because he's spent a lot of money on certain players," he said.
"But right now, I don't think the balance of the team is right, and the obvious one that stands out is Florian Wirtz. He's just not at the races at all.
"He's a young boy coming into a new league. He's got plenty of time to go as a Liverpool player.
"But, right now, I think he needs to come out of the team, Liverpool get back to what they were last season - and then go from there and try and build some confidence and build some defensive solidity because right now, it just looks a mess."
Florian Wirtz during the Premier League match between Bournemouth and Liverpool.
Florian Wirtz had a difficult start to life at Liverpool. (Image: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
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But just a matter of days after those comments from Carragher, Klopp outlined his confidence in Wirtz coming good if given time to prove himself.
"I don't have to worry about Florian Wirtz because his quality is so outstanding,” he said. “Of course, everything is fine, and everyone knows that. The discussion is certainly being blown out of proportion.
"Liverpool have just lost three games in a row – it's unusual for something like that to happen after such a long time. But it's also normal in life.
"That's why these things are discussed. I've been in the middle of such discussions long enough now, and I can tell you: nothing could interest people less than the public discussions that are taking place there. So it doesn't matter, and everything will be fine.
"[Wirtz has] a stable environment at Liverpool, and the club is great in moments like these. If anyone's worried, you don't have to! You can stop."
Wirtz’s recent performances have now proven Klopp right again. Since the turn of the year, the midfielder has scored five goals and provided two assists in nine games in all competitions.
His performances have seen him nominated for the January Player of the Month award in the Premier League. He will go up against Yasin Ayari, Patrick Dorgu, Enzo Fernandes, Junior Kroupi, Crysnciso Summerville, Igor Thiago and Harry Wilson for the award.