Overview
- Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola publicly defended Florian Wirtz on Friday, saying the player should be judged by how the team plays when he is on the pitch.
- Former manager Jürgen Klopp also praised Wirtz’s work-rate and urged observers to look beyond raw statistics when assessing his impact.
- Wirtz has recorded one assist and no goals in five appearances this season, a low end product compared with the reported fee of up to £116 million Liverpool paid last summer.
- Bayern Munich are reported to be monitoring Wirtz as a possible replacement for Michael Olise if Olise leaves, though no formal bid has been launched.
- Club sources tell Football Insider Liverpool are not preparing to sell and Iraola is experimenting with Wirtz’s position and system to try to unlock more direct goal contributions, with transfer talk set to continue if form does not improve.