Liverpool's Most Notorious Transfer Losses as Florian Wirtz Continues to Come Under Fire

When Liverpool signed Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, the overwhelming feeling was one of excitement. The Reds parted with £116m to bring the German international to Anfield, and the young attacking midfielder made the uncomfortable decision that not many of his compatriots ever make: Turning down Bayern Munich.

Indeed, the Bavarians were coveting Wirtz's signature as well, and why wouldn't they? The German burst into the Leverkusen team as a teenager, racked up 197 appearances in all competitions before his 22nd birthday, and helped Die Werkself claim the Bundesliga for the first time ever. And they did so in a fashion that Bayern never had: Without losing a single game.

Wirtz's Dwindling Stock

But since Wirtz arrived at Anfield, things have gone downhill quickly. It took 14 Premier League games for him to notch up a single goal involvement, namely an assist in the 1-1 draw at home to Sunderland last December. And while he would go on to rack up a further three assists and five goals throughout the rest of the campaign, the 23-year-old was beginning to look like a flop as the Reds slumped down to fifth place in the table.

This season, things haven't gone much better. Wirtz has just one assist to his name through the first seven Premier League games of the campaign and is still waiting for his first goal. His downturn in form has coincided with an injury crisis at Anfield, with the likes of Alexander Isak, Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo, Hugo Ekitike, Federico Chiesa, Conor Bradley, and Giovanni Leoni all in the treatment room.

The Critics Find Their Voice

The result was that Liverpool slumped to a 3-0 defeat in a recent crunch clash at home to Manchester City, dropping Andoni Iraola's men down to ninth place in the table and, if the latest betting odds are anything to go by, already out of the title race. The latest odds from Lucky Rebel Sportsbook make Liverpool a 16/1 outsider to win the title this term, well behind defending champions and 1/2 favorites Arsenal.

One of the names being leveled with the most criticism following that defeat to City at Anfield is Wirtz, with the Sky Sports duo of Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville pouring fuel onto the fire with their post-game takes. Former Reds defender Carragher clamored for Wirtz to be dropped from the starting eleven despite his lofty price tag, while Neville said that Wirtz seems unaware that he's in the team to score goals and provide assists.

Could Wirtz Depart?

The rumor mill has already gone into overdrive about a potential Wirtz departure, with Bayern Munich reportedly still interested. If the club were to sell, it would likely receive a transfer fee nowhere close to the £116m they paid to secure his services 15 months ago.

The thought of that potential transfer loss got us thinking: which other Reds have arrived for sizable sums only to be sold for a massive loss not long after their arrival? Here were the players that first sprung to mind.

Darwin Núñez

Liverpool stumped up some £64m to sign Darwin Núñez from Benfica in the summer of 2022, primarily off the back of the Uruguayan striker netting home and away against the Reds for his former club in the UEFA Champions League. The explosive striker bagged 34 goals in 41 appearances in the season before his arrival, and he was considered one of the hottest properties in European football. Within three years, he was gone.

Núñez unquestionably had his moments in red, netting 40 goals in 143 games and helping the club to the Premier League title in 2024. However, his finishing ability regularly drew the ire of the Anfield faithful, and his crucial penalty miss in the Champions League exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain was the final straw. He was sold to Saudi club Al Hilal in the summer of 2025 for £46m, resulting in the club receiving an £18m loss.

Andy Carroll

No signature represents the word 'flop' better than that of Andy Carroll. Liverpool forked out a club record £35m to sign the towering English striker on a wild transfer deadline day in January 2011, despite the fact that he had just 14 Premier League goals to his name. The Reds were in panic mode following the blockbuster £50m departure of Fernando Torres to rivals Chelsea, and Carroll was one of the men they punted for to plug the gap, with the other being a certain Luis Suarez.

But Carroll's Anfield tenure couldn't have had more contrasting fortunes to that of Suarez. The Englishman arrived at Anfield injured and managed just two goals in his first half-a-season with the club. In his first full season, he managed just four goals in 35 Premier League games, and within 18 months of his arrival, he was already on the move. West Ham stumped up £15m for his services, and at the time, many commended Liverpool for even being able to recoup that much, which demonstrated just how bad his time at Anfield had truly been.