Ryan Gravenberch joined Liverpool in September 2023 on a signed five-year contract and the fan base was excited about the player we have just bought. Spending a reasonable £34.3 million on the Bayern player, there were mixed reactions to the signing, with some wondering why we bought a player who couldn’t make it at Bayern Munich. Others said it was simply a cheap option to satisfy the fans and make it look like the owners were doing something.

Nonsense, as always.

What people didn’t realize is that the player we were looking for from Bayern was not the dispirited Dutchman who only played 938 minutes in 33 games for the German team in the 22/23 Bundesliga season. But the player Liverpool were looking for and looking at was the Ajax man, who made 42 appearances and played as a defensive and central midfielder, which was instrumental in the Dutch giants winning the Eredivisie in the 21/22 season before his move. to Bayern. .

Ajax’s star boy

The Ajax Academy is renowned for its talent production, keeping the team well funded for years and remaining competitive in the Dutch league year after year. When Ajax were denied the chance for back-to-back titles during the COVID-19 season, they found themselves without a trophy despite being far from second place with a game in hand at the time of the league’s suspension.

The Academy, known as De Toekomst (or the future), provided one player in particular. Ryan Gravenberch, 18, started 21 of 23 possible games and established himself as one of the most promising talents in the world, demonstrating his quality.

Bayern rejects

When Ryan Gravenberch was asked About his time at Bayern Munich and his frustrations, he was quoted as saying; “Honestly, yes. You want to play, but the coach chooses other players. I have to accept it, but it’s difficult. I expected more minutes, but I have to stay calm.

“Maybe the coach will give me more minutes after the international break.”

So why didn’t it work out for Bayern Munich?

Ryan Gravenberch did not get along at all with Julian Nagelsmann. Nagelsmann was especially bothered by Gravenberch’s lack of defensive work. In the game against Plzen, when Bayern conceded two goals after Gravenberch’s entry, the staff held him responsible.

In the January friendly against Salzburg, Gravenberch was supposed to play 90 minutes, but was substituted at half-time because, according to Nagelsmann, he was backing away from some of Salzburg’s attacks. Nagelsmann singled out Gravenberch in the locker room in front of the entire team.

In talks prior to his transfer, Bayern had promised Gravenberch enough playing time in his first season and expected Nagelsmann to deliver, which is why Gravenberch turned United down. However, the coach was never really convinced, which frustrated the Dutchman.

Gravenberch himself is said to have mentioned the idea of ​​leaving the club internally, but Hasan Salihamidžić quickly made it clear that the Dutchman would not be leaving in the summer. After Nagelsmann left, Gravenberch wanted to take advantage of his opportunity with Thomas Tuchel.

Bayern’s trash is Liverpool’s treasure

Liverpool officially signed Ryan Gravenberch on September 1, 2023, after the club announcement.

The 21-year-old arrived on Merseyside with a clean slate and a manager who made his money by boosting confidence in players who, before Liverpool, didn’t have much. Jurgen Klopp was the man who would take the player out of Ryan and prosper on the pitch. We saw cameos from Ryan throughout the season, but he was never able to establish himself in the starting lineup, either due to inconsistencies or injuries.

We saw glimpses of the brilliance that Gravenberch had, with fantastic goals scored and an intelligence about the game that few possess. It helped that his national teammate and current club captain, Virgil van Dijk, was one of his biggest supporters within the club, celebrating immensely every goal Ryan scored.

The Arne Slot Effect

Following the departure of Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool found the next man to take them back to the top of the mountain in Arne Slot from Feyenoord, who had seen a lot of Ryan in his early years at Ajax and would be very familiar with his game.

Over the summer, Arne noted how fundamental the defensive midfield position was in his system and previously, Liverpool had a ‘Destroyer’ in those positions. Now, under this new system, a change would be necessary. This led to targets shifting towards players like Real Sociedad’s Martín Zubimendi, a defensive midfielder adept at carrying the ball forward and progressing the ball from the backline to the forwards with passes and dribbles. However, we all know what that signing went like, with the deal almost closed and Zubimendi changing his mind at the last minute and leaving Richard Hughes, in his first season as Liverpool’s sporting director, with egg on his face.

But this has now opened the door for Ryan to shine, with many fans worried and worried about whether or not the young Dutchman can play the position or is cut out for it at this level. It’s one thing to perform for Ajax in the Eredivisie, but performing in the Premier League is another level of skill.

Gravenberch is 6’2” and this allows him to defend himself physically but he is also very agile and quick on his feet. The midfielder acts in a double pivot on the left side and is versatile in terms of his movements; looks to assist in the build-up phase, often moving towards the backline to create a numerical advantage, or receiving on the turn and looking to drive the ball forward, but also looking to move forward, particularly to the left. wing where he can connect the game in the final third.

Gravenberch is a very good progressive passer of the ball and often looks to break lines with his passes, whether from deeper areas or looking to advance into the final third. The 22-year-old can disguise his passes so there is less chance of the opposition predicting the pass and intercepting it, while he also has good passing weight and rarely hits his passes to players between the lines.

Thanks to his uniqueness, of being agile and quick on his feet while having a great build and height, Gravenberch can roll his opponent and then drive with the ball at his feet, and when he does, thanks to the mix of power and technique. that it has, it does it very effectively.

Gravenberch has very, very impressive awareness of the field and how to move to receive and also knowing when to turn the ball, which is an incredible skill in the middle of the field. He recognizes space in the buildup and often moves to help his team advance the ball, whether that means moving into a zone to receive or dragging an opposing player so his teammate can receive.

Gravenberch also often scans before receiving and this means he knows when he can receive on the turn and progress, so he doesn’t limit progression when receiving in the build-up. This also allows him to be a good midfielder in front of the ball, as he is good at receiving in more advanced areas.

So far this season, Ryan has wowed people with his performances in a position where many Liverpool fans were calling for reinforcements following the demise of Fabinho in previous years.

It seems Liverpool have found their man.