Florian Wirtz has endured a mixed debut season in England following his big-money move from Bayer Leverkusen.
After failing to score or assist in his first 12 Premier League appearances for Liverpool, Wirtz came in for heavy criticism.
The German has improved as the 2025/26 season has gone on, but former Reds defender Markus Babbel thinks that the midfielder will get even better once 2026/27 gets underway.
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Florian Wirtz expected to have a top 2026/27 season at Liverpool
In an interview with Get German Football News, Babbel explained why Wirtz did not have the best start in the Premier League.
He said: “It’s a different league. I had the same problem when I came to England. It’s a different sport. It’s faster. It’s harder. There are so many top players there. And it doesn’t matter if you’re Florian Wirtz; [other players] will have no respect for you. They’re kicking you. They’re trying to do everything they can to stop him from bringing his skills onto the pitch. Of course, it took a while. I would say it took until December or the beginning of January, but then he started to perform.”
Babbel went on to suggest Wirtz has also suffered because Liverpool as a team have been poor, but he still thinks that from 2026/27, fans are going to be able to ‘see a top-class Florian Wirtz‘.
He continued: “It’s been a bit unlucky for him because at Liverpool, the whole team is struggling. I think in the statistics, he’s high in the standings for chances created, but because the team is underperforming and he’s one of the most expensive signings behind Alexsander Isak, there’s an expectation that he’ll score 15 goals and get 30 assists.
“This is the mindset of the supporters, but it’s not so easy for him. I still believe that Liverpool will have a lot of fun with him because he is a fantastic player. The first season is, of course, not the best. He can play better, but there’s been a big improvement from him, and he’s learnt a lot. And next season you’ll see a top-class Florian Wirtz.”
How Florian Wirtz compares to Rayan Cherki
In total, Wirtz has now managed to score seven goals and provide 10 assists in 46 games for the Reds this term.
Prior to the 22-year-old putting pen to paper on a contract, Liverpool were looking at Rayan Cherki when he was at Lyon.
The 22-year-old instead ended up at Manchester City, where he has the chance to do a treble this campaign.
In the same number of games as Wirtz, the Frenchman has managed to score 10 goals and assist 13.
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