Klopp defends Liverpool´s ´once-in-a-century talent´ Wirtz

Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has hailed Florian Wirtz as a “once-in-a-century talent”, backing him to return to his best form with the Reds.

Wirtz made a blockbuster move from Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool in June in a deal reportedly worth up to £116m (€133.2m).

He got off to a great start for Arne Slot’s side, setting up Hugo Ekitike’s goal against Crystal Palace in the Community Shield in his first competitive match, but has since failed to register a goal involvement.

Wirtz has created 22 chances in all competitions for Liverpool, more than any of his team-mates, while registering 2.4 expected assists (xA), another team high.

His expected goals (xG) tally of 1.6 is only bettered by Ekitike (5.2) and Mohamed Salah (3.0), though he has yet to score from any of his 13 shots.

As such, Wirtz’s form has been called into question in the British media, with his place coming under scrutiny.

But Klopp has defended the 22-year-old, claiming Liverpool will see the best of Wirtz, who registered 30 goal involvements across all competitions in 2024-25 (16 goals, 14 assists).

“His [Wirtz’s] quality is so outstanding. The discussions are a bit exaggerated,” Klopp told Sport.de.

“Liverpool just lost three games in a row, which is unusual. But that’s also normal in life. And that’s why such things are discussed there.

“Now I’ve been in the middle of such discussions long enough and can say: nothing could interest people there less than the public discussions.

“[Wirtz is] a once-in-a-century talent, and at some point, he’ll show that in every game again, just as he did at Leverkusen.”