By Alex Ridout

When Liverpool splashed £116 million including potential add-ons for the highly rated Florian Wirtz Reds’ fans were ecstatic.

It was a move that shocked an entire fanbase in a summer transfer window that just seemingly went from strength to strength.

Fast forward to the end of the German’s first season on Merseyside and not everything has gone to plan for the 23-year-old.

With seven goals and eight assists during his first year in the red of the current champions of England, there have been moments of pure quality from the skilful midfielder that have given glimpses into why the decisionmakers at Liverpool chose to lose such an amount of money in order to bring him to the club.

However, with the levels Wirtz was able to show in the Bundesliga under Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen, and the large price tag, that no fault of the individual, hangs over his head, many would’ve hope for a slight increase in output from the highly talented German.

The drop in output compared to his time in Germany isn’t all the 23-year-old’s problem.

Firstly, the step up from Bundesliga football to the speed and intensity of the Premier is a large one, with many players taking time to adapt, or for some, getting accustomed to football in England can be too bigger of an ask.

Also, despite winning their 20th league title just last year, Liverpool was an unsettled camp to come into, especially someone so young, who until now had never ventured out of Germany.

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With the mass rotation of players in the summer transfer window, severely added to by the tragic loss of Diogo Jota, there was significant change in the dressing room of the league’s previous winners.

Combine all this with a style of play which isn’t seeming to suit the German, with not many opportunities to drive the ball forward, and mostly a large number of small passes before getting into a potential shooting opportunity, it has been mainly moments of magic and rare counterattacking chances that have provided Wirtz with the chance for the contributions he has.

Though Reds fans with a decent memory will have seen all this before; a talented player with obvious ability not been given the chance to show his true potential.

This other play is Roberto Firmino.

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Coming from Hoffenheim for, at the time, the large sum of up to £29 million, the Brazilian famously played in the iconic Mane, Salah, Firmino trio, and was an extremely important part of Jurgen Klopp’s winning teams.

Though it wasn’t always easy for the Brazilian during his eight season spell at Anfield, especially at the beginning.

Signed during Brendan Rodgers’ time at the club, Firmino was used ineffectively, with different trials as part of the midfield and on the wings which all ended in disappointment for both player and fans alike.

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This is similar to Wirtz’s career at Liverpool so far, as he too has had to move position away from his favourite number ten spot, sometimes to the left wing and even as a false nine.

The catalyst for Firmino’s improvement was a change in manager, as due to poor performances and a lack of results Rodgers was sacked and replaced by Klopp.

With the German in charge a new player was born, playing at the false nine position, which he then made his own until his departure in 2023, after scoring 111 goals in 362 appearances, and that’s not even mentioning all the creative work he did.

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Under current manager Arne Slot, Wirtz currently seems held back, unable to express his full creative ability on the ball.

Just like Firmino with Salah and Mane, Wirtz has the players to provide for, with strikers Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike to aid in attack, when he returns from injury.

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With former manager and architect of Wirtz’s previous form Xabi Alonso currently without a job, the main questions are, is Slot the man to get the best out of the German, and if not, will the hierarchy at Liverpool make the same decision that helped Firmino all those years ago?

Featured image of Florian Wirtz arriving at Craven Cottage prior to the match between Fulham and Liverpool: Wikimedia Commons