Jamie Carragher has openly questioned where Florian Wirtz could possibly fit into Jurgen Klopp's successor Andoni Iraola's Liverpool side, suggesting that the £116.5 million German may be a symptom of what could become the most disastrous transfer window in Premier League history. In a scathing analysis of Liverpool's midfield during their 2-2 draw with Newcastle United, the former defender dissected the tactical flaws that he believes will cripple the Reds' chances of challenging for the league title this season. Carragher argued that the midfield configuration being employed simply does not work with the players at its disposal, and that the underlying structure demanded by Iraola is fundamentally flawed.
"I don't believe that midfield can function with the personnel in there," Carragher said. "For me, it doesn't work. And it's not just about personnel, it's the structure the manager is asking." At St James' Park, Liverpool lined up Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai in central midfield, with Florian Wirtz occupying the traditional No 10 slot. Rather than anchoring the middle of the park, Szoboszlai frequently drifted forward into attacking zones, leaving the central area exposed.
Carragher pointed out that while Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have historically paired a double‑pivot with a creative No 10, City also pulls its full‑backs inside to shield the defense. Liverpool, by contrast, lack that additional cover, creating a glaring vulnerability to counter‑attacks.
"Why did Pep 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 explained. He illustrated how both Szoboszlai and Gravenberch would surge ahead to join Wirtz, effectively emptying the midfield and handing Newcastle space to launch quick transitions.
"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 noted what appears to be an explicit instruction from Iraola for Wirtz and Szoboszlai to "lock on" to opposing midfielders, a tactic that worked for Brentford against Tottenham when their centre‑backs stepped up to close the gaps left behind. Liverpool's own defensive stalwart, Virgil van Dijk, has not mirrored that movement; the 35‑year‑old remains deeper, leaving a substantial void between the back line and the midfield press. "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 observed, adding that the Dutchman "needs protecting, he needs cuddling, he needs looking after." Given these structural issues, Carragher argued that Liverpool must acquire a genuine holding midfielder to provide a shield against rapid breaks. "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 suggested that Szoboszlai should move into the No 10 role, which would free up space for a more defensively disciplined midfielder. This raises the question of where Wirtz would slot in. Carragher is blunt: he sees no realistic position for the German in Iraola's current system.
Wirtz's statistical output last season—five goals and three assists in 33 league appearances—does not inspire confidence that he can justify his £110‑million price tag. "This thing that it takes people a year to settle in the Premier League, I think is a bit of a myth.
I don't think there's too many examples where it does," Carragher remarked. He went on to say that the expectation for Wirtz to occupy the No 10 slot forces Szoboszlai out of the midfield, a move he believes is unsustainable. "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," Carragher asserted.
He further criticized Iraola's apparent obsession with wingers, noting that Liverpool conceded 78 goals across all competitions last season—53 in the Premier League, the highest total in the club's top‑flight history. "All of a sudden it's all about buying wingers? I'm not sure where he fits.
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," Carragher explained. In Carragher's view, Wirtz is a "neat and tidy" footballer with a lovely touch, but not the type of player who should command a £110 million fee.
He estimates the German is more appropriately valued at £50‑60 million, suggesting that expectations have been wildly inflated. Wirtz was part of a massive £445 million spending spree by Liverpool last summer, a campaign that seemed designed to accelerate Arne Slot's title‑winning ambitions.
The club also splashed out 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, 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 witnessed by 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 noted that the previous season's under‑performance was not about the new signings but about the transition from Klopp to Slot, whose style differed markedly from Klopp's high‑pressing, attacking ethos.
"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 said. He reminded fans that the original ambition behind the spending was to build a dynasty capable of emulating Manchester City’s recent dominance or Manchester United’s early‑2000s resurgence. Instead, Liverpool finished fifth, Slot was dismissed, and the squad appears disjointed.
Looking ahead, Carragher is sceptical about Liverpool's title credentials. "I don't think Liverpool will be contenders this season," he concluded. "Liverpool are in transition.
I'm not trying to make excuses for them, because they've lost Mohamed 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 have got to find their feet, and Iraola has got to find his feet at a big club. 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."