Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro is in no doubt: Florian Wirtz "definitely" would have joined Real Madrid rather than Liverpool during the summer had he been offered the chance to follow Xabi Alonso to Santiago Bernabeu. "But Xabi has less say at Madrid than he did with us," Carro pointed out in an interview with Sport1. "One of Alonso's greatest strengths was his ability to work with our scouting department to define who needed to be in our team, but Florentino Perez decides the transfers at Madrid – not Xabi Alonso."
Consequently, Wirtz was left with three serious suitors to choose from: Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Liverpool. After careful consideration, he went with the latter.
However, as Wirtz wonders – just like the rest of us – whether he'll start for Liverpool in Sunday's massive Premier League showdown with City, it is worth asking if he made a mistake moving to Anfield? And might he actually have been better off at the Etihad instead?
Getty'Wanted to be a part of this team'
There were many reasons why Wirtz picked Liverpool over City and Bayern. He was struck by both the quality of Arne Slot's side – and the club’s facilities – after Leverkusen were routed by the Reds in last season's Champions League. He was also blown away by the stunning scenes of celebration on Merseyside that followed Liverpool's record-equalling 20th English title triumph in May. "I just wanted to be a part of this team," he told the club's official website.
What really won Wirtz over, though, was the promise of not just becoming a part of Slot's side, but being absolutely integral to it. According to Liverpool sources, it was the Dutchman's detailed plan for Wirtz that effectively sealed the deal.
Whereas Wirtz reportedly had doubts over whether he would play regularly as a No.10 at Bayern because of the presence of Jamal Musiala at the Allianz Arena, he would literally be central to attacking strategy at Anfield, deployed in his preferred position just behind the centre-forward. However, Slot's plan for Wirtz appears to have already been scrapped – or at least shelved – because of Liverpool's incredibly erratic form.
AdvertisementGetty Images'Damages' Liverpool's balance
Wirtz started Liverpool's first four games of their 2025-26 Premier League campaign – and in his familiar attacking midfield role. However, he wasn't involved in a single goal during that winning run, which inevitably led to online mockery and intense media scrutiny of his transfer fee.
So, when the Reds' results took a serious turn for the worse, Wirtz became something of a scapegoat, even though his obvious struggles with the pace of the Premier League had absolutely nothing to do with his team's far more costly inability to deal with set-pieces.
"I think Wirtz actually damages the balance of Liverpool and how they play," former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney said on his podcast. "He's a top player and I'm sure he will get better – but he's had a slow start and I think there's no denying that. I've seen players come into this league and it takes time.
"But it's not the price tag. It's not the player or his ability. I just don't see where he fits into what Liverpool do in that [4-3-3] system. Is he a third midfield player? For me, no, he's more of an attacking player. So, if I have to choose between him and [Dominik] Szoboszlai, then I choose Szoboszlai."
Worryingly for Wirtz, Slot is now favouring the Hungarian too.
Getty Images SportUpstaged
Amid all of the excitement surrounding Liverpool's unprecedented summer of spending, Szoboszlai became something of an after-thought. The versatile No.8 may have played a major role in last season's title triumph with his remarkable work-rate, but the presumption was that Wirtz would take his spot in Slot's starting line-up.
The German was widely regarded as a massive – and necessary – upgrade on Szoboszlai, whose end product has been repeatedly criticised by the likes of Jamie Carragher. Even Slot stated earlier this year that he wanted more goals and assists from Szoboszlai.
In that context, Liverpool's willingness to push the boat out to sign Wirtz made perfect sense. He was the most coveted No.10 on the market, a young man who had already proven himself highly adept at both scoring and creating goals.
However, while Wirtz has yet to get off the mark for his new club, Szoboszlai has already scored twice, including a fantastic free-kick winner against Arsenal. Even more surprisingly, Szoboszlai, Liverpool's undisputed player of the season so far, also has twice as many assists (four) as Wirtz in all competitions.
When one also considers that the Hungary captain played a starring role in last season's win over City at the Etihad, there appears little doubt that Slot will field his trusted title-winning trio of Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister on Sunday – particularly as they laid the foundation for the wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid that arrested the Reds' recent slide.
So, is Rooney right, then? Is there no room for Wirtz in Liverpool's strongest side? And if so, should he have pushed to join City despite his alleged doubts over Pep Guardiola's long-term future at the club?
AFPCity a better fit?
It's been widely reported that Guardiola identified Wirtz as the ideal replacement for Kevin De Bruyne, whose contract expired at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, and it would be easy to understand why. Wirtz, with his mix of industry and innovation, fits the profile for Pep’s perfect 10. So, why didn't the German end up at the Etihad?
Well, that very much depends on who you talk to, because there are those that claim that City felt that Wirtz was overpriced at £100 million ($130m), while others insist that the player walked away from the deal because Guardiola could offer no guarantee that he'd extend his stay in Manchester beyond 2027.
If Wirtz really did reject City, it is possible that he's regretting that decision now, given he probably would have immediately settled into one of the two attacking midfield roles in Guardiola's 4-1-4-1 formation. After all, Rayan Cherki is already enjoying a more productive start to his Premier League career than Wirtz. Despite being hindered by a thigh problem that ruled him out of action for more than a month, the Frenchman has already racked up eight direct goal involvements since signing for City just before the Club World Cup.
As plenty of critics have been quick to point out, Liverpool were also considering signing Cherki if their audacious move for Wirtz failed to come off – and it would certainly be hard to argue against the £30m ($42m) signing from Lyon looking like a better-value buy right now.