Liverpool told to make ‘magic’ No10 signing amid Florian Wirtz decision

Liverpool have been urged to sign a second No 10 to add extra ‘magic’ to Andoni Iraola’s squad, while the Reds have decided to keep Florian Wirtz despite renewed interest from Bayern Munich.

Liverpool pulled off a major transfer coup in the summer of 2025 when they beat Bayern, Real Madrid and Manchester City to Wirtz’s signing. The attacking midfielder was arguably the most coveted player in the world at the time after establishing himself as one of the Bundesliga’s biggest stars.

Wirtz became the most expensive Liverpool signing of all time when he joined in a £116million deal, though the transfer was soon eclipsed by the British-record £125m arrival of Alexander Isak.

Wirtz is clearly a very talented player, but he has not had the same impact at Anfield as he did with Bayer Leverkusen, where he was their talisman and main creative source.

This season will be huge in determining whether the German justifies his massive price tag or is viewed as a flop. After all, he has already had one year to adapt to the rigours of Premier League football.

According to our friends at TEAMtalk, Liverpool still believe Wirtz will reach his best form and do not plan on selling him next year under any circumstances.

That is despite Bayern monitoring the 23-year-old in case he becomes available for transfer at some stage in the future.

In an interview with Goal, former Liverpool midfielder Ray Houghton reacted to Wirtz’s struggles in the No 10 role by saying: “I think we could do with another one. I said that the other week, I think if you had two number 10s… because we’ve got two strikers, we’ve got four wingers, two for either wing, or wherever you want to look at it, we’ve got four central midfielders. I just don’t see us having two number 10s, and I think that’s an area where you need a bit of magic.

“If one number 10’s not doing it, then you can bring another one in. Interesting to see what the manager does. I mean everyone’s looking for them, because they could be game changers.

“There’s other aspects of Liverpool I think will improve as the season goes on.

“I think last season they played too narrow, the wingers came in and the midfielders were all tight together, so there was no space.

“Whereas this season, playing with a bit more width, whether that would be Cody [Gakpo] on the right, or Victor [Munoz] on the right, Rio [Ngumoha] or Bradley [Barcola], you’ve got options now to keep the pitch nice and wide.

“That should free up that central area for Florian Wirtz, but Florian’s got to show that consistency now.

“He’s going to be given more game time I think. He’s going to be playing in his favourite position; he’s not going to be farmed out to the left or the right, as he was sometimes last season.

“He’s got to be in that central role, so it’s up to him now to show that consistency, game in, game out.

“When you come for a big price tag and you come to Liverpool, you have to be playing well, because the fans are going to be looking at you and asking why, if you’re not producing it, what’s the reasons behind it.”

Florian Wirtz can’t ‘hurt’ teams – Carragher

Following Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Bournemouth on Sunday, Jamie Carragher criticised Wirtz by saying: “That was one of the poorest I’ve ever seen him in a Liverpool shirt.

“I’ve been critical of the fact that he hasn’t got the numbers. But normally when you watch Wirtz, he’s neat and tidy; he keeps possession. There’s things that you like. He gets out of a tight situation where you’re normally expecting your player to lose the ball.

“But the reason I worry is: I don’t think Wirtz is in poor form since he came to Liverpool. I actually think what we’re seeing is what he is.

“And I was worried for Wirtz probably 12 months ago. And maybe that was a little bit early to say that, but I didn’t say it. It was just in the back of my head.

“I commentated on Liverpool away at Burnley, and Liverpool won with a late penalty from Mo Salah. And when I was watching that game, it was what I’ve seen for the last 12 months: I don’t see how he’s going to hurt you.

“It’s just neat and tidy. And in some way, the price tag for that type of player should be half of what Liverpool have paid.

“The worry for Wirtz now is that his performances so far, or what he’s given Liverpool, is so low. Where we were expecting him was to take Liverpool to another league title, to take Liverpool to a Champions League.

“The gap he’s got to get to almost justify what people were expecting, I almost think is too big. You can’t get there. Even if he improves a bit and gets there, it’s still not what Liverpool thought they were getting.”