Paul Merson writes off Liverpool’s ‘special player’ – ‘it just isn’t working’ | OneFootball

Paul Merson has given his verdict on Liverpool attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz and has questioned how long the Anfield faithful can afford to wait for him to come good.

Wirtz joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2025 for an initial fee of £100million, with a further £16m in add-ons.

The Germany international attacking midfielder arrived at Anfield with a strong reputation, having helped Bayer win the Bundesliga title in 2024.

Much is expected of Wirtz at Liverpool, but the 23-year-old has been largely underwhelming,

Wirtz scored seven goals and registered 10 assists in 49 appearances for Liverpool during the 2025/26 campaign.

So far this season, the 23-year-old has played five matches in all competitions, giving one assist in the process.

Paul Merson on Liverpool midfielder Florian Wirtz

Former Arsenal star Merson rates Wirtz highly, but the Sky Sports pundit has suggested that it may not be long before Liverpool give up on him.

Merson told Sky Sports: “I don’t know how long they can wait on Florian Wirtz.

“I’m a big fan of him, I think he’s a special player.

“But it isn’t working; it just isn’t working.

“I don’t know how long they can wait.”

Merson has also raised on Liverpool under manager Andoni Iraola following the team’s goalless draw with Fulham at Anfield in the Premier League at the weekend.

The Sky Sports pundit said: “I’m worried for Liverpool at the moment, in a way, because that was a bad result on Saturday.

“That was a very bad result.

“I don’t know if the manager is finding it a bit more difficult than he probably would after making the jump from Bournemouth to Anfield.

“No disrespect to Bournemouth but if they draw at home to Fulham 0-0, it is not a problem.

“Liverpool draw at home to Fulham, it is headline news.

“That is what he’s got to get used to as well.

“He’s got to let the shackles off, open it up a bit.

“You watch the games now, every weekend that goes past, Man City and Arsenal are so far ahead of everybody else.

“It’s mind-blowing how big the gulf is.”

Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown believes that Liverpool could cash in on Wirtz.

Brown told Football Insider: “Florian Wirtz is facing a lot of question marks about his future at Liverpool.

“I have to say, I’m surprised more hasn’t been made of the fact Liverpool paid £116million for a player who has had very little if any impact on their performances in the last 12 months.

“When you pay that sort of money for a player, you want him to be performing every single week, providing goals, assists, and helping the team to win games.

“He hasn’t matched up to that price tag at all, and while that isn’t necessarily his fault that he’s got that attached to him, the club aren’t going to be pleased with their investment.

“So it wouldn’t surprise me if another club comes along, like Bayern Munich for example, if Liverpool are willing to cut their losses on him.

“Wirtz has struggled to adapt to the Premier League and struggled to find a place in the side where he can show his talents and justify the money Liverpool spent on him.

“So from the club’s point of view, if they can make some of that money back, that might be something they are tempted to look into.”