Fresh starts don't come much cleaner than this. Florian Wirtz might just be licking his lips at the prospect of Andoni Iraola walking through the Anfield doors.

The German international's debut season on Merseyside was hardly the stuff of dreams. Seven goals and eight assists across a campaign where Liverpool scraped into the Champions League spots tells its own story. For a player who cost an initial £100m, with another £16m in potential bonuses, those numbers feel painfully modest.

But context matters. Wirtz arrived at a club in mourning following the tragic passing of Diogo Jota in July, joining up for pre-season at a Liverpool still processing that devastating loss. The early adaptation was always going to be complicated, even with fellow new signing and good mate Jeremie Frimpong helping ease the transition.

What followed was a campaign that started brightly before falling off a cliff. Five wins from five gave way to twelve league defeats and twenty across all competitions. Arne Slot, for all his early promise, never quite managed to execute the tactical blueprint that supposedly convinced Wirtz to snub Bayern Munich, Manchester City, and a late Real Madrid push from Xabi Alonso.

The club record fee spoke to Liverpool's ambitions. They viewed Wirtz in the same bracket as Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker, world-record signings in their positions who transformed the club into title contenders. The expectation was clear: become the catalyst for Liverpool's next golden era.

That transformation never materialised under Slot's watch. Through a myriad of reasons, the Dutchman couldn't unlock what made Wirtz such a coveted talent in Germany. The playmaker was arguably one of Liverpool's better performers during a difficult campaign, but that's setting the bar embarrassingly low.

Now comes Iraola, bringing with him a new system, a different style of football, and an aggressive, front-footed approach. The prospect of pace either side of him should excite a player whose reputation was built on threading passes and finding pockets of space that others simply don't see.

At 23, Wirtz has time on his side. The talent that made Liverpool break the bank is still there, waiting for the right tactical framework to flourish. The club retains the belief that they have one of world football's most gifted number tens on their books.

This summer's World Cup offers the perfect stage for a reminder of what all the fuss was about. Germany kick off their Group E campaign against debutants Curacao in Houston, Texas, and Wirtz will be desperate to show why he arrived at Anfield with such a gilded reputation.

A strong showing Stateside could prove crucial for both player and club. It might just provide the balm needed to heal the wounds of last season's disappointments and send Wirtz back to Merseyside with the spring in his step that convinced Liverpool to make him their marquee signing.

Iraola's appointment represents more than just a managerial change. For Wirtz, it's the chance to finally become the transformational figure Liverpool paid handsomely for, and the German will be desperate to prove that their faith wasn't misplaced.