Michael Owen suggests Mohamed Salah’s numbers at Liverpool are creating unrealistic expectations for big-money signings Bradley Barcola and Florian Wirtz. The former striker admitted there is ‘huge doubt’ over whether Wirtz can succeed at Anfield after more than a year of underperformance.
Liverpool’s heavy investment in the transfer market continues to draw sharp scrutiny following a difficult run of results. Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen believes the goalscoring numbers set by Mohamed Salah have placed an impossible standard on recent additions to the club’s forward line.
The debate comes in the wake of a turbulent period for the squad, highlighted by a 3-0 home defeat to Manchester City on Sunday. During that match, high-profile arrivals found themselves outshone while missing several key attacking colleagues.
Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola Face Heavy Scrutiny After Manchester City Defeat
Sunday’s fixture against Manchester City exposed the struggles currently facing Liverpool’s marquee acquisitions. Florian Wirtz turned in a largely anonymous display before being substituted following a red card shown to teammate Ryan Gravenberch in the 62nd minute. Meanwhile, Bradley Barcola showed lack of confidence to take on opposition right-back Matheus Nunes before leaving the pitch for Federico Chiesa in the 88th minute.
The collective output of the forward line felt particularly glaring given the absentees in the squad. With Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo, and Hugo Ekitike all sidelined, the responsibility fell on the club’s big-money additions to step forward. Instead, it was Victor Munoz and Lewis Koumas who were more threatening in attack.
Those muted displays carry extra weight when measured against the substantial fees required to bring the players to Merseyside. Liverpool agreed a £116million deal for Wirtz and a £123m deal for Barcola.
Michael Owen Points to the Shadow of Mohamed Salah
Speaking about the financial pressure surrounding the squad, Owen argued that the benchmark established by Salah distorts how supporters and clubs evaluate new arrivals. While acknowledging that the club’s recent transfer window brought in exceptional talent, he noted that the overall team form places an unwanted spotlight on the most expensive names.
Owen suggested that players joining the club are immediately measured against an unreachable target. For a signing like Barcola, who joined the squad only five games ago, the immediate demand to produce numbers creates an unfair environment for settling into a new league.
“If you’re a club, you’re thinking, ‘right, spending this, we need those types of numbers to justify it’. And obviously, nobody’s going to get near to those numbers of Mo Salah. So it is a problem.”
Michael Owen, via Goal
Persistent Doubts Surround Wirtz After More Than a Year on Merseyside
While Barcola is still in the opening weeks of his Liverpool career, Wirtz is enduring a much longer period of inconsistent form. The attacking midfielder showed flashes of his huge ability during his debut season, but his overall output has failed to match the expectations of a nine-figure valuation.
Owen stressed that the underlying talent is unquestionable, pointing to Wirtz’s past performances in different leagues and on international duty. Even so, the transition to consistent output in a Liverpool shirt has stalled over an extended stretch.
“And it’s an issue. It’s an issue that Liverpool need to find a way of getting the best out of him because it’s not even a doubt that it’s in there. But getting it out is a huge doubt because it’s been over a year now.”
Michael Owen
