Florian Wirtz has been set a goals and assists target that would help to justify his £116 million ($156m) transfer fee at Liverpool. The German playmaker briefly became the most expensive player in British football when moving to Anfield over the summer. He is still waiting on his first competitive goal contribution for the reigning Premier League champions.
Wirtz waiting on first Liverpool goal contribution
That is not for a lack of trying, with the 22-year-old’s creative qualities shining through at times. He has, however, endured a testing start to life in England, with the huge price tag hanging around his neck bringing with it added pressure. The expectation is that a player of his undoubted talent will come good in time.
Wirtz is, however, aware of the need to deliver end product in order to silence any doubters and prove his worth. He will be hoping to savour collective success during his debut campaign on Merseyside, as major silverware is chased down, but also needs to post some eye-catching statistics as an individual.
AdvertisementJustify transfer fee: What Wirtz needs to deliver
Quizzed on what those numbers should look like, former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy – speaking in association with online casino BetWright – told GOAL: "It’s a difficult one because I think if Liverpool win the Champions League or win the league, his numbers become less relevant and the microscope on them becomes less because there has been collective success.
"If he is going to play the majority of the season as a 10 then you have got to be looking at, ideally, double figures for assists and goals – that would be a success. I think he has been a tad unfortunate in some ways, although you have to accept that he hasn’t started as well as we anticipated.
"I think he has been a bit unlucky because he has made a lot of chances that haven’t been converted. Sometimes if some of those go your way – [Mohamed] Salah missed a sitter against Everton, [Jeremie] Frimpong missed a sitter, a couple at Galatasaray, the beautiful flick at Chelsea that Salah mis-hit on his right foot. All of a sudden the narrative changes a little bit if a few of those go in, or it’s not as intense.
"I have seen so much to like about him, you can see his class and intelligence and his vision. I think he has been a little bit surprised by the physicality of the league and how intense and difficult that is, every game. In the Bundesliga you probably had more games where they were in control of the ball and not being up against so much intensity. You think of the Newcastle away game, for example, the power of Arsenal – every game you play in the Premier League is physically difficult. That’s probably the area where he has adapted the most."
Getty Images
Why Murphy has no concerns about Wirtz
While many have been quick to write Wirtz off, Murphy remains confident that the Germany international will unlock his full potential. The ex-Reds star added: "I’ve got no concerns about him – the quality, it’s there for all to see.
"It’s also difficult, although they spent a lot of money on him and he’s expected to do well, the reality is when you are a young lad coming into a club the size of Liverpool and you have not experienced that expectation before, it can be a bit intimidating. I have seen it many times. None of the signings that Liverpool have made have come from an equal club of stature and size, so what you are asking them to do is not only adapt to what [Arne] Slot wants, you are asking them to adapt to this huge expectation and focus on you individually. He will have never dealt with that before, Wirtz, to this level.
"I think it is just a bit of adaptation time. I like him. He just needs a little bit longer and a little bit more experience in this league to really show his true self. There have been moments. The last game against Chelsea, that first assist for Salah, not many players are capable of that kind of vision and technical ability. I’m excited to see him. Yes, there is criticism inevitably, any player on the planet that goes for 100 million-plus, if you don’t start scoring and making assists then you are going to get criticised. He is going to have to deal with that."
GettyLiverpool fixtures: Visit from Man Utd next up
Wirtz, who saw team-mate Alexander Isak claim his spot in the British transfer record books when completing his own £125m ($168m) move to Anfield, will be hoping to earn a recall to Slot’s starting XI when Liverpool return to Premier League action on Sunday.
They are preparing to play host to old adversaries Manchester United, with the Reds heading into that contest on the back of three successive defeats across all competitions – making it even more important that Wirtz and Co rediscover a spark that has started to fizzle out.