‘He will do what Bruno Fernandes’ does’ - John Barnes explains how ‘favourite player’ Florian Wirtz can become a £116m success story for Liverpool

Wirtz registered seven goals & as many assists in debut campaign

The former Bayer Leverkusen star briefly became the most expensive player in British football when making his way to Merseyside during the summer of 2025. At that point, he found himself linking up with the reigning Premier League champions.

The 2025-26 campaign proved to be a difficult one for all concerned, with Liverpool stumbling their way to a fifth-place finish. That was enough to secure Champions League qualification, but a concerning dip did lead to Arne Slot being relieved of managerial duties.

Andoni Iraola has now taken the reins, with the Spaniard eager to put his own stamp on a star-studded squad. He is aware of the need to bring the best out of misfiring match-winners such as Wirtz and £125m ($169m) striker Alexander Isak. The latter registered just four goals last season, while the former found the target on seven occasions and posted the same number of assists.

Barnes backs Wirtz to become a talismanic presence at Anfield

That output needs to improve, and quickly, with Reds icon Barnes - speaking in association with 247Bet - telling GOAL when asked if he would have any words of advice for Wirtz: “He is my favourite player at Liverpool. He's my favourite player. Now the team has to play around him.

“Once you had [Hugo] Ekitike and you had [Cody] Gakpo and you had other players who are doing the same thing as him, he has to be the main player. So I don't have any advice for him because I think every time he plays, he plays well.

“The team has to adapt to him. He has to adapt to the team. And I think that we had too many players who were doing the same thing. So Liverpool have to play in a way to get the best out of Florian Wirtz. And I think that you'll see the best out of Florian Wirtz and Isak.

“Once you had Ekitike and Wirtz and Gakpo and Isak, you then had Mo [Salah] as well, you had all of these players and you can't have too many players like that. So I think we'll see a much better version of Florian Wirtz this year.”

Can Wirtz post Fernandes-esque numbers for Liverpool?

Wirtz is cut from similar cloth to Manchester United captain Fernandes - who registered 21 assists last season and made Premier League history. Liverpool need to find a way of unlocking similar levels of productivity in their creative No.7.

Asked if that is possible, Barnes added: “Yeah, but Man United plays around Bruno Fernandes. Liverpool didn't play around Wirtz. They played around Mo or Ekitike, or whoever. Whereas everything is played through Bruno Fernandes.

“Now if you play everything through Wirtz, he will do what Bruno Fernandes does. And that's what Liverpool have to figure out. Whether they're willing to do that…”

Liverpool fixtures 2026-27: Pre-season & Premier League opener

Wirtz has figured for Liverpool in pre-season, on the back of enduring a disappearing World Cup with Germany, and Iraola will be looking to build his attack around the Germany international and Swedish striker Isak.

They are under pressure to deliver, with huge price tags hanging around their necks, and the pursuit of precious Premier League points will begin for the Reds when heading to St James’ Park for an opening weekend clash with Newcastle on August 23.