Florian Wirtz’s Liverpool journey has quickly moved into the pressure phase. After arriving for a massive fee, the German playmaker is now being told that talent alone will not be enough at Anfield.
Former Wales international Dean Saunders has set a blunt benchmark for the 23-year-old: 15 goals and 15 assists this season. It is a demanding target, but one that reflects the scale of Liverpool’s investment and the expectations that come with it.
Big fee, bigger expectations
Liverpool paid €125 million to sign Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2025, making him one of the club’s most expensive additions in recent memory. The move was supposed to add creativity, control and end product to a side already chasing more silverware after their title win.
Instead, the first season brought more questions than answers. Wirtz, like the team around him, found consistency hard to come by as Liverpool slipped to fifth in the Premier League, finishing 25 points behind champions Arsenal.
The pressure only increased in the summer when title-winning manager Arne Slot departed and Andoni Iraola arrived to start a new era. For a player bought to shape the next phase of the club, the margin for adaptation has already narrowed.
Saunders raises the bar
Speaking to BetSelect.co.uk, Saunders did not hide his view on what the midfielder must now produce. “At that price, he has to deliver 15 goals and 15 assists,” he said.
That is a major jump from Wirtz’s return last season. He finished the 2025/26 campaign with seven goals and 10 assists in all competitions, meaning he would need to almost double those numbers to reach Saunders’ target.
The message is clear: Liverpool do not just need flashes of quality. They need decisive output, week after week, from a player signed to tilt tight matches in their favour.
Why the No 10 role matters
Saunders also believes Wirtz needs a more settled position to deliver those numbers. He argued that the playmaker should consistently operate as a No 10 rather than being used out wide.
“When he is the free man and is allowed to roam everywhere, he has to start delivering,” Saunders said. “Playing as a No 10 is a free pass for any player. You do not have to work back or receive the ball with your back to goal. And people do not expect you to score a lot of goals, but you have to create chances.”
That tactical point may prove crucial. Wirtz is at his best when he can drift between the lines, find pockets of space and dictate attacking moves. Asking him to do that while also stretching defenses from the wing may dilute his influence.
Bravery praised, physicality questioned
Not all of Saunders’ comments were critical. He did praise Wirtz for his willingness to finish attacks by making runs into the box, something not every attacking midfielder consistently does.
“A lot of players do not like making that run all the way into the six-yard box because they are afraid of getting injured there,” Saunders noted. “With him, that is now a good sign that he is brave. However, he still looks a bit lightweight,” he cautioned.
That mixture of admiration and warning sums up the current view on Wirtz perfectly. There is belief in the skill set, but also a growing demand for more resilience, more physical impact and more final product.
The numbers are not matching the price tag
Wirtz’s early-season form has only intensified the scrutiny. So far this season, he has just one assist in six competitive matches for Liverpool, who are again off the pace in sixth place.
The stats are not disastrous, but they are not close to what Liverpool need from a player of his standing. At this level, a creative midfielder is judged not only by what he builds, but by how often those moments directly translate into goals and points.
| Metric | Number |
|---|---|
| Transfer fee | €125 million |
| 2025/26 goals | 7 |
| 2025/26 assists | 10 |
| Saunders target | 15 goals, 15 assists |
| Current season assists | 1 in 6 games |
| League position | 6th |
There is still time for the story to change, but the direction of travel matters. Liverpool supporters have seen enough quality to believe Wirtz can become central to the team’s future, yet patience at a club of this size is rarely unlimited.
What happens next?
Saunders summed up the mood around the player by acknowledging that fans still want the move to succeed. “I think the fans still want it to work out for him. His attitude seems good. And you can see that he is trying,” he said. “But we have now reached the point where he has to deliver.”
That sentence may define Wirtz’s season. The support is still there, but so is the expectation. At Liverpool, especially after a record-level investment, trying is only the starting point. The real test is whether Wirtz can turn promise into production and give the Reds the numbers they paid for.
