Florian Wirtz may be edging towards an exit from Liverpool. That’s at least if the latest reporting from Germany is anything to go by.
This international break has seen something of a bite back in Germany as Wirtz continues to face criticism for his performances – or lack of them – at Liverpool.
The midfielder is still yet to justify the huge fee that Liverpool paid for him last summer. Five games into Andoni Iraola’s Anfield reign and questions remain about his role and how he fits into Liverpool’s team.
That has not gone unnoticed in Germany. National boss Jurgen Klopp has already spent some of this break defending the 23-year-old. He even went as far as to suggest he simply joined Liverpool at the wrong time.
The Wirtz defence
Now this week’s edition of SportBILD have gone one step further. They – and journalist Axel Hesse – say a transfer might be the solution for the midfielder.
The newspaper argues that Wirtz is failing to play the pivotal role he envisioned at Liverpool and ‘a solution is needed’.
As far as they are concerned, the massive transfer fee Liverpool paid is not his problem. In fact, they believe that if Liverpool hadn’t paid that fee, then the criticism may not be what it is. Nor would the Reds be working so hard to get him back to top form.
For now, a January transfer window exit is out of the question. But Liverpool will start to consider their options if things don’t improve soon.
Wirtz – or at least SportBILD on his behalf – isn’t happy either. They point to issues last season such as the tactical setup, the ‘selfishness’ of Mohamed Salah and the overall nature of the 2025 overhaul.
The newspaper believes that Liverpool’s traditional style of ‘dynamism and robustness’ leaves little room for a player like Wirtz. There’s even a hint of dressing room unrest.
SportBILD argue that Liverpool’s old stars were not keen on a playmaker like Wirtz taking the reins. Nobody in that group is ensuring that he shines or helping him. He has not been ostracised, but the spotlight is not on him either.
| Florian Wirtz — club stats | 2024/25 | 2025/26 | 2026/27 so far |
|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Bayer Leverkusen | Liverpool | Liverpool |
| Appearances | 45 | 49 | 6 |
| Minutes played | 3,391 | 3,503 | 494 |
| Goals | 16 | 7 | 0 |
| Assists | 14 | 8 | 1 |
| Goal contributions | 30 | 15 | 1 |
| Minutes per goal | 212 | 500 | — |
Internal power struggles
It is said that he may have been ill-prepared for ‘internal power struggles’ at Anfield and he is now struggling to cope with the fact that he isn’t being sought out on the pitch.
Now attention is turning to potential exits. But there are few alternatives to Liverpool for Wirtz given his annual salary of €20m and the fee paid for him. Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea could be potential options, but SportBILD are very much just naming names on that front.
It remains to be seen whether they would actually be interested, despite being able to afford the overall package.
For now, it seems Germany is fighting back. They’ve seen what’s been said and now they want Wirtz’s side of things out there. Hesse in particular has often been a supporting journalist on that front. He quite regularly and vociferously targeted Mohamed Salah last year as Wirtz struggled.
Now it is the rest of Liverpool’s superstars who are the problem, creating internal politics and battles that the midfielder was not ready for. At least according to SportBILD.
