Alan Shearer has questioned whether Liverpool will ever see the best of Florian Wirtz in the Premier League, as the former England captain also gave his verdict on Jurgen Klopp's new role as Germany head coach
Former Newcastle and England striker Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer is not convinced about Florian Wirtz
Former England skipper Alan Shearer has admitted uncertainty over whether Liverpool supporters will witness Florian Wirtz at his peak. The Premier League's record goalscorer believes the intensity and pace of England's top flight may not suit the attacking midfielder's style of play.
Wirtz arrived at Anfield in June 2025 for an initial $132 million (£100M) fee, with a further $21 million (£16M) owed to Bayer Leverkusen through specified add-ons, yet the Germany international has demonstrated his capabilities only sporadically since his switch to Merseyside.
A challenging season for Liverpool saw it suffer 20 defeats across all competitions under Arne Slot, with Wirtz contributing seven goals and nine assists.
The Reds remain undefeated thus far under new manager Andoni Iraola, though Shearer has cast doubt on whether Wirtz will replicate the performances at Leverkusen that established him as one of Europe's most thrilling playmakers, reports the Liverpool Echo.
"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'.
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Germany's coach Jurgen Klopp congratulates Germany's midfielder #17 Florian Wirtz after 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)
Jurgen Klopp was delighted with Florian Wirtz's performance for Germany against Serbia(Image: Getty Images)
"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 found the net for Germany earlier this week as Jurgen Klopp celebrated his inaugural victory as the new national team boss with a 2-0 triumph over Serbia.
Discussing the iconic former Reds manager Klopp and his latest appointment, Shearer continued: "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?
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"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."