Jamie Carragher has openly expressed his doubts about where Florian Wirtz could fit into Jürgen 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 stalemate with Newcastle United, the former defender dissected the tactical shortcomings of the new manager and warned that the club’s current approach is unlikely to mount a serious title challenge this season. Carragher began by stating that the current midfield configuration simply cannot operate effectively with the players at hand. He argued that the problem is not merely a matter of individual quality but stems from the structural blueprint imposed by Iraola.
"I don't believe that midfield can function with the personnel in there," he said. "For me, it doesn't work. And it's not just about personnel, it's the structure the manager is asking." On the night at St James' Park, Liverpool deployed Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai alongside Florian Wirtz, who was positioned as a traditional No 10.
However, rather than anchoring a double‑pivot, Szoboszlai repeatedly surged forward into attacking zones, leaving the centre of the park exposed. Carragher highlighted that successful teams, such as Manchester City under Pep Guardiola, have historically paired a double‑pivot with a creative No 10, but they also pull their full‑backs inside to shield against counter‑attacks.
"Why did 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 explained. The pundit illustrated how both Szoboszlai and Gravenberch tended to abandon their defensive duties, charging ahead to join Wirtz and consequently creating vast 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 asserted.
"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 observed that Iraola appears to have instructed Wirtz and Szoboszlai to ‘lock on’ to opposition midfielders, a directive that backfires when the defensive line does not adjust accordingly. He contrasted Liverpool’s approach with Brentford’s recent success against Tottenham, where the Bees’ centre‑backs stepped up to close the space left by an aggressive midfield press. In Liverpool’s case, veteran defender Virgil van Dijk chose to sit deeper, leaving a vulnerable corridor between the back line and the midfield.
"You've got a situation, like at Manchester 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 noted. Regarding Van Dijk, Carragher was blunt: "He needs protecting, he needs cuddling, he needs looking after." He concluded that Liverpool must acquire a genuine holding midfielder to plug the gaps and protect against swift transitions.
"Liverpool need someone alongside Gravenberch," he said. "It doesn't necessarily need to be a player who can't get on the ball and he's 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." Carragher believes that if Szoboszlai moves into a proper No 10 role, the question remains: where does Wirtz fit?
He argues that Wirtz’s limited output – just five goals and three assists in 33 league games last season – makes it difficult 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," he said. "I don't think there's too many examples where it does." He went on to say that the expectation for Wirtz to occupy the No 10 slot forces Szoboszlai out of his natural midfield position, creating a tactical imbalance.
"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. "What's Iraola going to do with Wirtz? You can't keep going with it, it's not working." Carragher also criticised Liverpool’s defensive record, noting that the club conceded 78 goals in all competitions last season, 53 of which came in the Premier League – a record high for the Reds.
He suggested that the club’s recent obsession with signing wingers does not address the underlying defensive frailties. "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.
He summed up his view of Wirtz by describing him as a "neat and tidy footballer" with a lovely touch, but not the type of player who should command a £110 million fee. In his estimation, Wirtz is more realistically worth £50‑60 million. "I'm not sure what people are expecting," he said. The German was part of Liverpool’s massive £445 million spending spree last summer, a campaign that also saw the arrival of 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 warned that this window may have done more harm than good, potentially ranking as the worst summer of business ever undertaken by a Premier League club. "My fear is this window of 12 months ago could set Liverpool back a year or two to fix it," he warned. He reminded listeners that last season’s struggles were not solely about the new signings; they also stemmed from the shift in playing philosophy under Arne Slot, a manager whose style differed markedly from Klopp’s and who was dismissed after a disappointing campaign. "But we're talking 12 months of under‑performance from all of these players except Ekitike," Carragher said.
"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." Looking ahead, Carragher remains skeptical about Liverpool’s prospects. He doubts the club can contend for the title this season, citing the loss of key figures such as Mohamed Salah, the potential departure of Van Dijk, and the aging of goalkeeper Alisson.
"I don't think Liverpool will be contenders this season," he concluded. "If they qualify for the Champions League, I'd be happy. The manager sort of beds in and then you can maybe go from there and look to challenge."