Florian Wirtz is the ‘disappointment of the season’ as Liverpool told who they should have bought instead
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Florian Wirtz has been labelled as the most disappointing player of the Premier League season following an underwhelming campaign with Liverpool.So much had been expected of Wirtz after he joined the Reds in a mammoth £116m move from Bayer Leverkusen last summer.But having failing to lift Liverpool throughout a stumbling season, and after hitting single digits for both goals and assists, former Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has insisted that the Reds may have been better off signing Tottenham’s James Maddison instead. Photo Credit: Getty Images/Jack Thomas Maddison would have offered more than Wirtz – PardewGiven the size of his transfer fee, and the clear level of talent he has in his locker, many had expected Wirtz to be one of the standout players in this season’s Premier League.Instead, the 23-year-old has clocked only five goals and three assists; identical numbers to Liverpool’s deepest lying midfielder, Ryan Gravenberch.As a result it is not a surprise to hear Pardew name Wirtz as his ‘most disappointing player of the season’ in a segment for TalkSPORT.“[Alexander] Isak was one of the players that was in my frame, that fee,” he said.
He came from Bayer Leverkusen and I watched him there and I really thought he was a player that’s going to really lift the Premier League, but he’s not had any moments. “If Maddison was playing at Liverpool, and obviously he’s been injured all year, but if he was playing at Liverpool he would’ve done better than Wirtz has done by some distance.
He’d have had more moments.“We’re talking about a player that we all believed in and I’m now wondering whether he’s going to be in the German team,” Pardew added, misguidedly.“I’m interested to see in what kind of World Cup he has. Photo Credit: Getty Images/Liverpool FC Wirtz shouldn’t be written offIt is hard to argue that Wirtz should have done so much better during his debut season in English football.The onus is now on the German to ensure he has a better year in 2026/27.If he cannot raise his game, question marks will begin to be asked of whether he really is the answer for Liverpool.Plenty are asking that already, of course, but given all the circumstances at Anfield this season, Wirtz has to be at least given a second year to shake off the dust and get a proper chance in a fully-functioning Liverpool team.