Florian Wirtz has been urged to become more decisive in front of goal if he is to justify his £116m transfer fee at Liverpool F.C.. The criticism came from talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino, who believes the German playmaker still lacks the clinical finishing expected from a player signed for such a large sum.
Florian Wirtz has been urged to become more decisive in front of goal if he is to justify his £116m transfer fee at Liverpool F.C.. The criticism came from talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino, who believes the German playmaker still lacks the clinical finishing expected from a player signed for such a large sum.
The 22-year-old joined the Reds from Bayer Leverkusen for a British-record transfer fee and arrived at Anfield with high expectations. Many believed he would make an immediate impact in English football following his impressive displays in Germany.
Instead, the midfielder needed time to adjust before beginning to influence the team under manager Arne Slot. While his performances have improved in recent weeks, his goal tally remains noticeably low.
That issue was highlighted again during Liverpool’s defeat to Galatasaray S.K. last week, when the German missed a pair of promising chances in a match the Reds ultimately lost 1-0.
Speaking on talkSPORT’s Weekend Sports Breakfast, Cascarino acknowledged the midfielder’s quality but suggested that his finishing is still lacking. According to the former striker, the German’s technical ability is clear, yet his effectiveness in front of goal has not matched the expectations that come with such a significant transfer fee.
Cascarino pointed out that players valued above £100 million are usually expected to deliver decisive moments in the final third. Although Wirtz is not a traditional striker, the pundit noted that his previous scoring record suggested he should contribute more goals.
The ex-forward also compared the midfielder’s current output with his time in Germany, when he regularly found the net for Leverkusen. Those numbers, he argued, made his slow start at Anfield more surprising.
During his final seasons in the Bundesliga, Wirtz played a major role for Leverkusen both as a scorer and a creator. In each of his last two campaigns with the club he finished with double figures for goals and assists.
In the 2023/24 season he scored 11 league goals and registered 12 assists, before following that with another productive campaign of 10 goals and 13 assists the following year.
His numbers since moving to Liverpool have been more modest. The midfielder currently has four goals in 25 Premier League appearances, in addition to one strike in the Champions League and another in the FA Cup.
The step up to English football is often considered demanding, with the Premier League widely viewed as a tougher competition than the Bundesliga. Even so, the German may have expected a higher scoring return, particularly as he has already attempted 24 shots this season, with 15 of them on target.
