Image for Florian Wirtz tipped to make Barcelona transfer and succeed under Hansi Flick
Image for Florian Wirtz tipped to make Barcelona transfer and succeed under Hansi Flick
Former Germany national team technical director Olivier Bierhoff has tipped Florian Wirtz to succeed at Barcelona amid links to the Spanish giants.
Whether you like Wirtz or not, and whether he proves he is worth the £116m Liverpool paid to sign him from Bayer Leverkusen in 2025, the German hasn’t hit the ground running at Anfield.
In my book, he did well enough under Arne Slot. Even the great Mohamed Salah struggled to perform in the Dutchman’s second season, with more than just sporting reasons at play. The tragic death of Diogo Jota understandably made it almost impossible for Liverpool to replicate their 2024/25 form, which must have been incredibly difficult for a new player as well.
However, Wirtz needs to deliver this season. Otherwise, Liverpool will need to consider selling him purely because he hasn’t delivered a return on investment.
Florian Wirtz wizardry?#NationsLeague pic.twitter.com/mD7HxpTWnO
— UEFA EURO (@UEFAEURO) October 2, 2026
I have faith that Wirtz will deliver. It’s always harder for a playmaker to make the transition to the Premier League, particularly from the Bundesliga, where time and space on the ball are a lot easier to come by.
Links to Barcelona, Bayern Munich and PSG have become more persistent since the end of the summer transfer window, with Bierhoff suggesting Wirtz would make a fine player for Barca, in particular. I would tend to agree, given their style of play and how the German star likes to float into the half-space. He’s arguably a better stylistic fit for Barcelona, even if he can still become a great player at Anfield.
Speaking to SPORT BILD, Bierhoff said: “I actually trust him with several clubs. When he went to England – as I estimated him – I also said that he is not going crazy now because it is another country.”
“So, I also trust him to be successful in other countries. I would like to see him with Hansi Flick in Barcelona, for example. He has room there, and would have great football teammates.”
????| Oliver Bierhoff on Florian Wirtz: "I can very well see him succeeding with Hansi Flick at Barcelona. There will be space and excellent teammates."
[@SPORTBILD] pic.twitter.com/JH0tGCVdIC
— Living Liverpool (@Livin_Liverpool) October 7, 2026
Liverpool, unfortunately, cannot give Wirtz unlimited time to prove his worth.
When you pay £116m for a player, you kind of expect them to be good enough to deliver immediately. Failing that, given the circumstances, you’d hope that within two seasons they’d be at the level expected.
I really want it to work out for Wirtz, but I cannot deny that the pressure to deliver will increase with each passing month.