Jamie Carragher has openly questioned the place of Florian Wirtz in Jurgen Klopp's successor Andoni Iraola's Liverpool side, suggesting that the €116.5 million German may have become a symbol of what could turn out to be the Premier League's most disastrous transfer window. In a candid post‑match analysis after Liverpool’s 2‑2 draw with Newcastle United, the former Liverpool defender dissected the club’s midfield structure, highlighted tactical flaws, and warned that the current recruitment strategy could leave the Reds far from any title contention.
Carragher began by stating his belief that the current midfield configuration simply cannot work with the players at its disposal. "I don’t think that midfield can function with the personnel we have," he said, adding that the issue goes beyond individual quality and lies in the system the manager has imposed. In the Newcastle game Liverpool deployed Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai alongside Florian Wirtz, who was positioned as a traditional No 10. However, rather than forming a balanced double‑pivot, Szoboszlai repeatedly surged forward into attacking zones, leaving the midfield vulnerable to counter‑attacks.
The former defender drew a comparison with Manchester City’s historic success using a double‑pivot combined with a creative No 10. He noted that Pep Guardiola often pulls his full‑backs inside to provide additional cover for the holding midfielder, a nuance that Liverpool’s set‑up currently lacks.
"Why does Pep always bring his full‑backs inside? Because the holding midfield player needs help to stop counter‑attacks," Carragher explained, underscoring the danger of leaving the space between defence and midfield exposed. Video footage on Sky Sports illustrated how both Szoboszlai and Gravenberch tended to charge forward, joining Wirtz in the final third and effectively emptying the central area. This left Newcastle with ample room to launch swift transitions, a scenario Carragher described as "all three of them thinking only about going forward," which he believes makes the system unsustainable.
He added, "I’ve never seen a Premier League side as offensively minded as this, apart from the two centre‑backs who stay back." Carragher also pointed out an apparent instruction from Iraola for Wirtz and Szoboszlai to “lock on” to opposition midfielders, a directive that, in his view, creates a mismatch with Liverpool’s defensive line. He contrasted Liverpool’s approach with Brentford’s recent success against Tottenham, where the Brentford centre‑backs stepped up to cover the space left by an aggressive midfield press. By contrast, Liverpool’s veteran centre‑back Virgil van Dijk chose to sit deeper, creating a gap between the press and the back line. "It’s similar to what Manchester United did under Erik ten Hag a few years ago – a team that wants to press high but also sits deep," Carragher observed, noting that this hybrid approach generates “big holes” in the defensive shape.
Regarding Van Dijk, Carragher was blunt: "He needs protecting, he needs cuddling, he needs looking after." He argued that Liverpool must bring in a genuine holding midfielder to shield the defence against rapid breaks. "Liverpool need someone alongside Gravenberch," he said.
"It doesn’t have to be a player who only tackles; he must be comfortable on the ball and capable of running." The pundit further suggested that Szoboszlai should move into the No 10 role, which would free up space for a more defensively disciplined player. However, this raises the question of where Wirtz would fit. Carragher expressed doubt that any role exists for the German under Iraola’s current system. He highlighted Wirtz’s modest return of five goals and three assists in 33 league appearances last season, questioning whether a £110 million price tag is justified.
"The myth that it takes a year to settle in the Premier League is overstated," he claimed, adding that the lack of impact is evident. Carragher warned that the club’s summer spending spree – a staggering £445 million total that 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) – may have backfired dramatically.
While the intention was to build a dynasty capable of challenging Manchester City’s recent dominance, the reality has been a squad that has underperformed across the board, with the exception of Ekitike, according to Carragher. He went as far as to label this period potentially "the worst transfer window in Premier League history" for Liverpool. "My fear is that this window could set Liverpool back a year or two," he warned. "Last season wasn’t about these players; it was about Arne Slot’s style, and now we have a new manager, new signings, and still no clear identity." The former defender also touched on the broader context of Liverpool’s transitional phase.
With Mohamed Salah’s departure, Van Dijk possibly on his way out, and Alisson’s future uncertain, Liverpool have lost three of their all‑time greats. CarrCarragher concluded that expecting a Champions League qualification this season would be a realistic target, but a serious title challenge appears out of reach. "If they qualify for the Champions League, I’ll be happy.
The manager needs to settle, the new signings need to find their feet, and then maybe we can look ahead," he said. In summary, Carragher’s analysis paints a picture of a Liverpool side struggling to integrate high‑profile signings into a coherent tactical framework. The lack of a dedicated holding midfielder, the misallocation of creative players, and defensive vulnerabilities have combined to produce a midfield that is too attack‑oriented for the rigours of the Premier League.
Unless the club makes swift adjustments – either by recruiting a proper defensive midfielder or by reshuffling the current personnel into more suitable roles – the 2025‑26 campaign could be remembered as a cautionary tale of overspending and mismanagement, potentially marking the worst transfer window ever witnessed in English football.