Liverpool’s £116m man Florian Wirtz may simply not be fancied by Andoni Iraola over time, leading to his exit, according to former scout Bryan King.
The German continues to flatter to deceive for the Reds, showing moments of class and working hard, but ultimately not proving to be the elite player he was signed as.
Wirtz had time on his side last season, with many giving him leeway as he adjusted to the Premier League, but patience is now beginning to wear thin.
Speaking to Football Insider, King claimed that Iraola may end up selling Wirtz, having not signed him himself and potentially not seeing him as part of his plans:
“These are the mistakes that happen in football. Both ends of the calendar. You know, people miss young players. People buy players for huge amounts of money.
“Jesus Christ, how many times have you heard in the last 30, 40 years that, oh, he’s got that big transfer figure around his neck and he can’t seem to be relaxing. Look at Ian Rush when he went to Italy. The moment he came back, it’s Ian Rush again, isn’t it?
“It’s the environment you’re in. If you feel as though you’re part of it, it’s easy to try and play. But I don’t think this boy, at this moment in time [does.]
“He’s got a manager who didn’t pay the money for him, so, it isn’t the manager’s choice, if you know what I mean. So, you know, it’s a simple situation.
“New manager comes in, the board are going to say, ‘hang on a minute, we’ve got a £116m player, why’s he not playing?’ He’ll turn and say, ‘well, I don’t think he’s good enough. I wouldn’t have signed him.’ And that’s also my opinion.”
Florian Wirtz HAS to bring main character energy at Liverpool
There is no doubt about what a naturally gifted footballer Wirtz is – Steven Gerrard has called him “world-class”, which takes some doing – but he is a meek presence too often during games.
He must start stepping up by scoring, assisting and running games with his class, rather than being a relatively unnoticed figure too often, being outmuscled and losing possession cheaply.
It is still far too soon to write Wirtz off at Liverpool, and there is every chance he clicks once Bradley Barcola finds his feet, but there is no question that far more is needed.
Sunday’s trip to Bournemouth will give the 23-year-old a chance to silence his doubters, but unfortunately, a quiet showing feels as likely as a match-winning one, if not more so.