Jamie Carragher has openly expressed his doubts about where Florian Wirtz could fit into Liverpool's current setup, suggesting that the £116.5 million German talent might be part of what could become the most disastrous transfer window in Premier League history. During a candid analysis of Liverpool's midfield performance in their 2-2 draw with Newcastle, the former defender dissected the tactical shortcomings of new manager Andoni Iraola and warned that these issues could derail any realistic title challenge this season.
Carragher began by stating, "I don't believe that midfield can function with the personnel in there. For me, it doesn't work. And it's not just about personnel, it's the structure the manager is asking." He pointed out that Liverpool deployed Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai in the middle of the park at St James' Park, while Wirtz was positioned as a No 10.
However, instead of forming a traditional double pivot, Szoboszlai frequently pushed forward into attacking zones, leaving the midfield unbalanced. The former England international highlighted that successful clubs such as Manchester City have historically used a double‑pivot combined with a dedicated No 10, but they also rely on full‑backs tucking inside to provide defensive cover.
"Why did Pep Guardiola always bring his full‑backs inside? Because the holding midfield player needed help to stop counter‑attacks. Straight away that's a problem for me with Liverpool," Carragher argued.
He illustrated his point by showing clips of both Szoboszlai and Gravenberch making forward runs to join Wirtz, effectively emptying the centre of the pitch and creating gaps for Newcastle to exploit on the break. "All they think about is going forwards. All three of them.
And that's why it can't work," he said. "I don't think I've ever seen a more offensive team, or players who think offensively in the Premier League than that. There's only the two centre‑backs who don't think about going forward." Carragher also suggested that Iraola appears to be instructing Wirtz and Szoboszlai to "lock on" to opposition midfielders, a strategy that worked for Brentford against Tottenham when their centre‑backs stepped up to close the space left behind.
Liverpool's own defensive stalwart, Virgil van Dijk, however, remained deeper, refusing to press forward and leaving a dangerous void. "You've got a situation, like at Man United under Erik ten Hag a few years ago – a team who want to press high but with a deep block. That's why these big holes are appearing. The midfield players want to lock on and Van Dijk does not want to come with them," Carragher explained, adding that the veteran defender "needs protecting, he needs cuddling, he needs looking after." Given these observations, Carragher argued that Liverpool urgently need a genuine holding midfielder to provide a shield against rapid counter‑attacks.
"Liverpool need someone alongside Gravenberch," he said. "It doesn't necessarily need to be a player who can't get on the ball and is just tackling and stopping players. If you play for one of the top teams in the world, you need to be able to get hold of the ball.
But I want someone who can run." He further suggested that Szoboszlai should be moved into the No 10 role, which raises the question of where Wirtz would go. Carragher is blunt: he sees no viable position for the German in Iraola's system. Wirtz's statistical output last season – five goals and three assists in 33 league appearances – does little to justify his hefty price tag.
"This thing that it takes people a year to settle in the Premier League, I think is a bit of a myth," Carragher said. "I don't think there's too many examples where it does." "I've always seen this coming. When people are saying [Wirtz] has got to go to No 10, that means Szoboszlai's got to be in the team and he's not a central midfield player.
I thought this would come up in six weeks, I think it's coming up right now. I don't see where he fits in at all, really.
What's Iraola going to do with Wirtz? You can't keep going with it, it's not working." Carragher reminded listeners that Liverpool conceded 78 goals across all competitions last season, 53 of them in the Premier League – a record high for the club. He questioned the club's recent focus on signing wingers, noting that the team's defensive frailties cannot be solved by adding more wide players. "I almost thought you could put him in a pocket from the left, where he plays for Germany, but Iraola loves wingers, he wants players who've got energy up and down the flank," he observed.
He went on to describe Wirtz as a "neat and tidy" footballer with a lovely touch, but argued that his market value should be closer to £50‑60 million rather than the £110 million Liverpool paid. "I'm not sure what people are expecting," Carragher concluded. The German was part of a massive £445 million spending spree last summer, a campaign that seemed designed to boost Arne Slot's title‑winning ambitions.
Alongside Wirtz, Liverpool splurged on Alexander Isak for a British record £125 million, Hugo Ekitike for £79 million, Milos Kerkez for £40 million, Jeremie Frimpong for £29.5 million, goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili for £29 million and Giovanni Leoni for £26 million. Carragher believes this window may have done more harm than good, potentially ranking as the worst transfer period ever for a Premier League side.
"My fear is this window of 12 months ago could set Liverpool back a year or two to fix it," he warned. He added that the previous season's under‑performance was not solely about the new signings, but also about the shift in philosophy under Slot, who differed markedly from Jurgen Klopp. "But we're talking 12 months of under‑performance from all of these players except Ekitike.
If this doesn't change in the next two or three months, under Iraola, and these players improve, I think we're going to be looking at that as arguably the worst transfer window we've probably seen in Premier League history." Carragher reminded fans that Liverpool's recent ambitions were to emulate the dynastic runs of Manchester City and Manchester United, aiming for multiple league titles within a five‑year span. Instead, the club now appears to be in a period of transition, with the loss of key figures such as Mohamed Salah, the possible departure of Van Dijk, and the uncertain future of Alisson.
"I'm not trying to make excuses for them, because they've lost [Salah], Van Dijk is probably going to go, maybe this is his last season, and the goalkeeper Alisson. You're talking about three all‑time greats there for Liverpool.
So they're probably not going to be there in 12 months and these [signings of summer 2025] have got to find their feet, and Iraola has got to find his feet at a big club," Carragher said. He tempered his pessimism by stating that if Liverpool can secure a Champions League spot this season, it would be a satisfactory outcome, allowing the manager and the new players to settle before mounting a genuine challenge in the future.
"For me, if Liverpool qualify for the Champions League this season, I'd be happy. The manager sort of beds in and then you can maybe go from there and look to challenge," he concluded. In summary, Carragher's analysis paints a bleak picture of Liverpool's current midfield configuration, questions the strategic fit of high‑profile signings like Wirtz, and warns that the club's recent transfer extravagance could be remembered as one of the most ill‑fated windows in Premier League history. The onus now lies on Iraola to restructure the midfield, possibly recruit a true defensive anchor, and find a role that maximises the talents of players like Szoboszlai and Gravenberch, while reassessing the future of Wirtz within the squad.