Slot Defends Wirtz After Wenger Critique

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has defended summer signing Florian Wirtz amid criticism from former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who claims the player's demands to play centrally have disrupted the team's midfield balance. The 22-year-old German joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen for a club-record 116 million pounds in June, but has yet to score in 15 appearances across all competitions, managing only three assists.

Wenger, speaking on beIN Sports, argued that Liverpool agreed to deploy Wirtz as a No. 10 to secure his signature over Bayern Munich, a decision that unsettled the midfield trio of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai. "When Wirtz had the choice between going to Bayern Munich or to Liverpool, he said to Liverpool, 'I'll come to you if I play No. 10. I do not want to play wide.' Liverpool, to get him, said okay," Wenger said. He pointed to recent matches, noting that Liverpool reverted to their established midfield against Aston Villa and positioned Wirtz on the left flank during Tuesday's 1-0 Champions League victory over Real Madrid, where Mac Allister scored the winner.

Slot responded to the remarks with measured support for Wirtz,...