Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool is feeling the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold more than ever, with Florian Wirtz failing to fill the creative void for Andoni Iraola
Jamie Carragher holds a Sky Sports microphone
Jamie Carragher has commented on Florian Wirtz's struggles(Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Jamie Carragher believes Florian Wirtz's struggles at Liverpool have been underpinned by a failure to fill the void left by Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The Liverpool legend admits it "sounds silly" to compare attacking midfielder Wirtz to a right-back, but Carragher believes the Reds have paid the price for failing to replace Alexander-Arnold's attacking contributions since he left Anfield for Real Madrid in 2025.
Liverpool signed Wirtz, 23, from Bayer Leverkusen last summer in a deal worth more than $150 million, including add-ons, but he struggled in his first season under Arne Slot, and there has been little improvement in his attacking output since Andoni Iraola took charge.
The German has no goals and one assist in five Premier League games this season, and Carragher, 48, believes Alexander-Arnold's exit exposed the lack of midfield creativity in Liverpool's ranks, and Wirtz has done little to meet the shortfall.
"In some ways, and this probably sounds silly, Wirtz is a replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold, because Liverpool's most creative player was a full-back," he said on 'The Overlap Fan Debate.'
"It was a freak; it was not normal. So, when Trent was leaving, you can't go and buy a right-back who does that, that's impossible.
"What Liverpool didn't have was a Kevin De Bruyne or a Martin Ødegaard. They had workmanlike midfielders, but the creative spark was in Trent.”
Florian Wirtz of Liverpool reacts during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Newcastle United and Liverpool FC at St James' Park on August 23, 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Wirtz's struggles have held Liverpool back(Image: Getty)
Iraola's team does not play again until Oct. 11, when Manchester City heads to Anfield. The lengthy international break has left a vacuum for talking points, and Wirtz's poor returns are getting plenty of attention.
Former Liverpool midfielder Didi Hamann believes the Reds will have to "pull the plug" if Wirtz's form does not improve soon.
He said: "The player I'm most interested in is Wirtz. Even the English have now realized that what happened between Liverpool and Wirtz looks like a huge misunderstanding.
"It will be interesting to see how he performs because if things continue like this in Liverpool, they'll eventually pull the plug. We'd have to ask those involved. I can only judge what I see, and what I see is a player who cost a lot of money, played poorly last year, and has had another poor start this year.
"When you're bought for that much money, naturally, they want you to make the difference in the final third of the game; he's doing that far too rarely."
Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan, meanwhile, claims Wirtz is "not fit for purpose" due to his physical shortcomings.
"You look at it and say, five-year contract depreciating at £20m a year," Jordan told TalkSport. "On their books at £70m now, can they get out of it if they need to?
"Can they get out of it and find a way to get him out of the door if he's not going to fit? I'm not the best person to assess whether a player can change their direction of travel because of their physicality.
"But if all the things you suggest are absolutely prevalent to what Iraola's success is going to be, or not, then the player's not going to be fit for purpose, is he?"