Florian Wirtz has failed to make an impact for Liverpool since joining the British record, but Emmanuel Petit believes the German will admit he is not worth the transfer fee.
Florian Wirths, who joined Liverpool for £116 million, has had a rocky start to his career at Anfield, failing to score or assist in the Premier League since joining from Bayer Leverkusen. The German international was also on the bench in recent games against Everton and Chelsea.
The 22-year-old is attracting increasing attention despite criticism in England, with some German football legends defending him. His transfer fee, which could have been a British record before Liverpool acquired Alexander Isak from Newcastle United for £125 million on transfer deadline day, inevitably drew even more attention to him, and that attention only increased the longer his slow start dragged on.
However, former Arsenal and Chelsea player Emmanuel Petit has expressed the opinion that Wirtz is not worth the hefty price tag paid by Liverpool. He believes the midfielder would probably agree, given Wertz’s shaky start at Anfield.
“The Premier League is a different challenge than the Bundesliga,” the World Cup winner said in an interview with Boyle Sports. “Leverkusen often counter-attacked and gave him space to perform. Liverpool are dominating the opposition, so the tactics are different.”
“Florian Wirths comes to a new culture and environment with a lot of pressure. To be honest, as much as I respect him as a player, I don’t think he’s worth the transfer fee.
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“I think some players are suffering because of the contracts between clubs. If you asked him, he’d probably say he’s not worth that money, but that’s the reality.
“I understand that it will take time for him to adapt his style to the Premier League. He has the talent and I believe he will be successful, but he will need to play more games and get to know his teammates better.”
“The Premier League is not the Bundesliga and Liverpool play differently than Leverkusen.”
Speaking last month, Liverpool manager Arne Slott claimed Wirtz has a dark side on the pitch that could help him develop in the Premier League. He said: “To say he’s an artist doesn’t do him justice.
“He’s an artist, but he’s also mean. Otherwise you wouldn’t be able to get to the level he’s at. He’s working incredibly hard in this building to get better. To get better.”
“So he has that mentality in him, and you can see that mentality when he loses the ball once or twice. He doesn’t try to hide, he wants the third, he wants the fourth.”
“In my opinion, he’s adjusting very well. He’s getting better and better with each game. He always wants to have the ball, even if there are some moments where I think he could do more. I think he can do better,” he added.
“He always wants to hold the ball, he always keeps trying, and he keeps getting better and better and healthier. That’s probably the most important thing, because we don’t have to teach him how to play football. He just has to adapt to the intensity level of the Premier League.”
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