The Premier League's all-time leading scorer Alan Shearer gives his verdict on Liverpool's Florian Wirtz
Florian Wirtz of Liverpool (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Florian Wirtz of Liverpool (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)(Image: Getty Images)
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Former England captain Alan Shearer admits he is unsure if Liverpool will ever see the best of Florian Wirtz. And the Premier League's all-time top scorer thinks the ferocity of the Premier League might simply be unsuited to Wirtz's game as an attacking midfielder.
Wirtz joined the Reds for an initial £100m in June 2025 with a further £16m due to Bayer Leverkusen in specific add-ons but the Germany international has only shown flashes of his talent at times since moving to Anfield.
A difficult campaign for Liverpool last season saw them lose 20 times in all competitions under Arne Slot as Wirtz scored seven goals and claimed eight assists.
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The Reds are unbeaten so far this time out under new boss Andoni Iraola but Shearer has questioned if Wirtz will ever show the form he displayed at Leverkusen that saw him develop a reputation as one of the most exciting playmakers in Europe.
"We are still yet to see the best of Florian Wirtz, we've seen it in patches," Shearer told Betfair.
"But we haven't seen him go on a run to say: 'Wow, this guy is some player and that's why they spent that huge money on him'.
"We've yet to see that and whether we will, we'll have to wait and see. I'm not sure.
"Because you don't get the time to do what you want to do on the ball at times in the Premier League because it's that gung-ho."
Wirtz scored for Germany earlier this week as Jurgen Klopp secured his first win as the new head coach with a 2-0 triumph over Serbia.
Germany's midfielder #17 Florian Wirtz (R) celebrates scoring the 2-0 goal with his teammates during the UEFA Nations League Group A2 between Germany and Serbia at the Allianz Arena in Munich, southern Germany on October 1, 2026. (Photo by Karl-Josef HILDENBRAND / AFP via Getty Images)
Florian Wirtz (R) celebrates scoring for Germany on Thursday with his goal sealing a 2-0 win over Serbia in Munich(Image: Karl-Josef HILDENBRAND / AFP via Getty Images)
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On the legendary former Reds boss Klopp and his new job, Shearer added: "The big question Klopp has to answer taking over as Germany manager is can he bring them back to being a powerhouse in international football?
"Because he's coming at a time where German football isn't at its best. We've seen Germany now in the last few years and I covered them a couple of times in the World Cup and they were really poor.
"I don't think they're blessed with great players. They've got one or two very, very good players, but I think in terms of the numbers, I'd be surprised if he was to get them back to the top level in competing for Euros and for World Cups.
"I don't see that happening for a while because I don't think that they have the talent at the minute for them to achieve that, despite how great he is as a manager."
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