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 midfielder might be emblematic of what could become the most disastrous transfer window in Premier League history. In a candid post‑match analysis after Liverpool's 2‑2 stalemate with Newcastle United, the former Liverpool defender dissected the club's midfield structure, highlighted tactical flaws, and warned that the current approach could derail any realistic title aspirations this season. Carragher began by stating his fundamental belief that the current midfield configuration simply cannot operate effectively with the players selected. “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 in question, Liverpool deployed Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai alongside Wirtz, who was positioned as a traditional No 10. Rather than anchoring a double‑pivot, Szoboszlai repeatedly drifted forward into attacking zones, leaving the centre of the park exposed.
Carragher pointed out that successful teams, such as Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, often employ a double‑pivot with a dedicated No 10, but they also pull their full‑backs inside to protect against counter‑attacks. He argued that Liverpool lack that protective cover, creating a vulnerability that opponents can exploit.
The former pundit illustrated several moments where both Szoboszlai and Gravenberch surged ahead, joining Wirtz in advanced positions and effectively emptying the midfield of any defensive presence. This, Carragher argued, gave Newcastle space to launch swift counters.
“All they think about is going forwards. All three of them. And that’s why it can’t work,” he observed.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more offensive team, or players who think offensively in the Premier League than that. There are only the two centre‑backs who don’t think about going forward.” Carragher also highlighted what he perceived as a direct instruction from Iraola for Wirtz and Szoboszlai to ‘lock on’ to opposition midfielders, a tactic that, while aggressive, demands a disciplined defensive shield. He contrasted Liverpool’s approach with Brentford’s recent success against Tottenham, where Brentford’s centre‑backs stepped up to close the gaps left by an attacking midfield line.
In Liverpool’s case, veteran defender Virgil van Dijk chose to sit deeper rather than advance, leaving a pronounced hole 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 that wants to press high but sits deep behind," Carragher explained.
"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." Regarding Van Dijk, Carragher was blunt: “He needs protecting, he needs cuddling, he needs looking after.” He went on to argue that Liverpool urgently require a true holding midfielder to add stability and curb the danger of rapid 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 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.” Carragher believes that if a defensive midfielder were recruited to partner Gravenberch, Szoboszlai could shift into the No 10 role, leaving the question of where Wirtz would slot.
He expressed doubt that any position in Iraola’s system suits the German. Wirtz’s statistics – five goals and three assists across 33 league appearances last season – suggest a modest impact, prompting Carragher to question whether the £110 million fee was justified.
“This thing that it takes people a year to settle in the Premier League, I think is a bit of a myth,” he remarked. “I don’t think there are many examples where it does.” He continued, “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 also criticized the broader transfer strategy that saw Liverpool splurge on a record‑breaking £445 million summer spending spree, which included not only Wirtz but also Alexander Isak (£125 million), Hugo Ekitike (£79 million), Milos Kerkez (£40 million), Jeremie Frimpong (£29.5 million), Giorgi Mamardashvili (£29 million) and Giovanni Leoni (£26 million).
He warned that the window could be remembered as the worst in Premier League history for a club of Liverpool’s stature. “My fear is this window of 12 months ago could set Liverpool back a year or two to fix it,” he said.
“Don’t forget, last season it was not about these players. It was all about Arne Slot and his style of playing, and he’s not like Jurgen Klopp, and he’s holding his players back… But we’re talking 12 months of under‑performance from all of these players except Ekitike.” The former defender warned that if the squad does not improve within the next two or three months under Iraola’s guidance, Liverpool may be looking at a historically poor transfer window. “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,” he warned. “When you consider the fees for these players, and what it was going to do for Liverpool… The idea wasn’t for these players coming in just to be good players, it was to create something like a little dynasty for Liverpool.” Carragher reminded listeners that Liverpool won the league two seasons ago, and the summer acquisitions were intended to emulate the sustained success of Manchester City or the resurgence Manchester United enjoyed under Erik ten Hag.
Instead, the squad appears fragmented, with a lack of clear tactical identity. He concluded with a sober outlook: “I don’t think Liverpool will be contenders this season.
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.”