Why Ryan Gravenberch was signed by Liverpool

Gravenberch arrived from Bayern Munich on transfer deadline day in a £34m deal
The former Ajax star struggled to earn playing time at Bayern

Gravenberch is the fourth midfielder signed by Liverpool this summer

The 2023 summer transfer window was one of the most transformative in Liverpool’s modern history.

Jurgen Klopp had to leave five first-team midfielders and sign four new ones. “We face the big challenge of reinventing one of the most successful midfielders this club has ever had,” the German coach warned at the end of the summer break.

Ryan Gravenberch was the final part of the rebuild, completing his move from Bayern Munich on transfer deadline day. There was no future in Bavaria for the underused 21-year-old. So why were Liverpool willing to shell out £34m for him? What Ryan Gravenberch can bring to Liverpool
“Counter-pressure is your ticket to this team,” Klopp revealed in April.

He explains why Cody Gakpo was integrated into the Liverpool squad so quickly after joining from PSV Eindhoven in January and provides insight into Darwin Nunez’s struggles.

Gravenberch was described by former Ajax and PSV striker Wim Kieft as a “complete player prototype” when he deliberately entered senior football aged 16. Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag made his debut for Gravenberch, explaining that while his strength lies in the ball, he doesn’t back down in his defensive duties.

“He has a lot of skills, especially in attack, but he also understands hard work,” Ten Hag said. This discipline will be crucial to his success at Liverpool.

Klopp was a longtime admirer of the 6’3 midfielder and quickly learned the player’s skills upon his arrival on Merseyside.

“He’s super talented, he can drive the ball, he can really be a threat from box to box, he’s going for it. He has a good eye for a pass and a good pass,” Klopp enthused.

Gravenberch, who has compared himself to a “contortionist” in the past, is more adept at maneuvering his massive body around an opponent than dodging them with a scalpel. Brian Tevreden, Gravenberch’s youth coach at Ajax, hailed him as “a better version of [Paul] Pogba on his best days at Juventus in terms of technique and presence on the pitch”.
Really high praise.

Thomas Tuchel has explained that Gravenberch’s lack of success at Bayern – he’s only been allowed six appearances in all competitions, less than backup goalkeeper Sven Ulreich – is because he preferred a role than the Bayern did not have.

The left side of the Liverpool midfield – or possibly in a double pivot alongside Wataru Endo – matches all of Gravenberch’s impressive qualities.

Ryan Gravenberch details at Liverpool

🫶 pic.twitter.com/zBZGIvbREv

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 2, 2023

Liverpool loved Gravenberch 12 months ago and narrowly missed out on pursuit when the midfielder joined Bayern. In April this year, 90min revealed that Liverpool were one of several Premier League clubs to have expressed an interest in the Netherlands Under-21 international. Midfield reinforcements have always been at the top of the Reds’ shopping list this summer, but the surprise departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho – both to the Saudi Pro League – have increased demand.

After paying the release clauses of Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister, Liverpool lost in embarrassing fashion to Chelsea in pursuit of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia. Endo eventually arrived from Stuttgart as a specialist defensive midfielder, but Klopp’s rebuild was not complete.

Gravenberch has always prioritized playing time when making career decisions and informed FC Bayern Munich last April that he wanted to come off the bench. The 21-year-old reiterated that wish in August as Manchester United were still in contention to sign with Liverpool.

Eventually, the Red Devils turned their attention to Sofyan Amrabat, leaving Liverpool to deal directly with Bayern. A transfer fee of £34m was agreed which saw Bayern make a decent profit after signing Gravenberch for an initial fee of £16m just 12 months earlier.

With teary eyes, Gravenberch only boarded a plane for England early on Friday before the deal was finalized on transfer deadline day. Liverpool completed negotiations before the window closed but missed the player registration deadline ahead of Aston Villa’s trip to Anfield on Sunday afternoon. Every Premier League player must be registered by 12:00 on the working day preceding an important match. Gravenberch’s arrival was announced at 9.45am on Friday, but the player’s work permit was not processed quickly enough.

“I’ve been told that won’t happen with the paperwork,” Klopp confirmed. “I’m pretty sure that on deadline day everyone, or the decision-making agencies, is pretty busy.”

Gravenberch had a full pre-season with Bayern – including playing a friendly against Liverpool – so he should be fit enough to be considered for selection immediately. Liverpool will play Wolverhampton Wanderers again on Saturday 16 September as the international break approaches. Liverpool’s 2023 signing will have to wait until 24 September for his home debut when West Ham United leave for Anfield.