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

It’s absurd, as usual.

What people didn’t realize was that the player we were looking to get from Bayern wasn’t the dispirited Dutchman who only played 938 minutes in 33 games for the German team during the season 22/23 of the Bundesliga. But the player Liverpool were looking for and had seen was the Ajax man, who made 42 appearances and played as both a defensive and central midfielder, instrumental in the Dutch giants’ Eredivisie victory in the season 21/22 before his transfer to Bayern. .

Ajax’s star boy

The Ajax Academy is renowned for its production of talent, allowing the team to remain well funded for years and remain competitive in the Dutch league year after year. When Ajax were denied the chance to win back-to-back titles during the COVID-19 trophyless season, despite being a distant second 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 games out of a possible 23 and established himself as one of the best emerging talents in the world by showing his quality.

Bayern reject

When We asked Ryan Gravenberch 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 was hoping to get 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 with Bayern Munich?

Ryan Gravenberch didn’t get along at all with Julian Nagelsmann. Nagelsmann was particularly bothered by Gravenberch’s lack of defensive work. In the match against Plzen, when Bayern conceded two after Gravenberch came on, he was considered responsible by the staff.

In the January friendly against Salzburg, Gravenberch was supposed to have 90 minutes, but he was replaced at the break because, according to Nagelsmann, he was falling back in some Salzburg attacks. Nagelsmann singled out Gravenberch in the locker room in front of the entire team.

In discussions leading up to his transfer, Bayern had promised Gravenberch enough playing time in his first season and expected Nagelsmann to stick to it, which is why Gravenberch rejected United. However, the coach was never really convinced, which frustrated the Dutchman.

Gravenberch himself reportedly discussed leaving the club internally, but Hasan Salihamidžić quickly made it known that the Dutchman would not be leaving this summer. Following the departure of Nagelsmann, Gravenberch wanted to try his luck under the direction of Thomas Tuchel.

Bayern’s trash is Liverpool’s treasure

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

The 21-year-old arrived on Merseyside with a clean slate and a manager who made his money by putting faith in players who, before Liverpool, didn’t have much. Jurgen Klopp was the man who would take the player away from Ryan, and he would thrive on the pitch. We saw appearances from Ryan throughout the season, but we were never able to cement ourselves in the starting lineup, whether due to inconsistency or injuries.

We’ve seen flashes of Gravenberch’s genius, with fantastic goals scored and an intelligence of the game that few possess. It helped that his national teammate and current club captain, Virgil van Dijk, was one of his biggest supporters at the club, celebrating immensely with every goal Ryan scored.

The effect of the Arne slot machine

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

Over the summer, Arne noted how crucial the defensive midfielder position was in his system, and previously Liverpool had a ‘Destroyer’ in those positions. Now, with this new system, a change would be necessary. This saw the targets shift to Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi, a ball-playing defensive midfielder, adept at carrying the ball forward and progressing the ball from the back line to the attackers with passes and dribbling. We all know how that signing went, though, with the deal almost done and Zubimendi changing his mind at the 11th hour and leaving Richard Hughes, in his first season as Liverpool sporting director, with an egg on the face.

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

Gravenberch is 6’2″, which allows him to defend physically but he is also very agile and quick with his feet. The midfielder plays in a double pivot on the left side and is versatile in his movement; he looks to help in the build-up phase, often dropping into the backline to create a numerical advantage, or receiving on the half-turn and looking to advance the ball, but he also looks to advance, particularly to the left wing where he can play. chained in the last third.

Gravenberch is a very good progressive passer of the ball and often looks to break the lines with his passes, whether from deeper areas or looking to get 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 players between the lines.

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

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

Gravenberch also often scans before receiving, meaning he knows when he can receive on the half-turn and progress so as not to limit progression when receiving in preparation. 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 blown people away with his performances in a position that many Liverpool fans were crying out for reinforcement after Fabinho went down in previous years.

It looks like Liverpool have found their man.