Ryan Gravenberch – The Empire of The Kop

‘Why would you…’ – European champion thinks £150k-p/w ace made a mistake by joining Liverpool

Liam Togher — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 15:48:31 +0000

One Liverpool player has been told that they may have chosen the wrong move for their career by joining the Reds.

Ryan Gravenberch will go down as the club’s last signing under Jurgen Klopp, having completed a €40m (£34m) switch from Bayern Munich on deadline day of the summer 2023 transfer window.

The 21-year-old is at least getting more game-time than what he was afforded in Germany, although he’s had to be content with just 10 Premier League starts so far, with only one of those coming since the end of February (Transfermarkt).

As highlighted in a recent piece by Voetbal4U, Dutch legend Wim Kieft suggested that the £150,000-per-week midfielder’s camp ought to be giving him better transfer advice, fearing that his potential will go unfulfilled if he continues to be a bit-part player at elite clubs.

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The pundit – who won the European Championship with Netherlands in 1988 – said of Gravenberch: “Such players are deemed worth the investment, even if they don’t succeed. After a difficult season at Bayern Munich, Liverpool simply paid €40m for Gravenberch. If it works, then great. If it doesn’t work, they will sell him for an acceptable amount.

“Gravenberch’s advisors must recognise that this is how it works and ask him whether it is in the player’s interest to take on this challenge in Munich and then Liverpool. If you can’t break through at Bayern Munich, why would you succeed if you move to Liverpool?”

Sometimes footballers can be guilty of pushing for an ill-advised move to a big-name club, even if their career would be best served by enjoying regular game-time in a more ‘modest’ team.

However, when the likes of Bayern Munich and then Liverpool come calling, it can be difficult to turn down those illustrious opportunities, particularly with the fear that it might be the player’s only chance to represent such European royalty.

Although Gravenberch hasn’t yet hit the heights that some might’ve hoped at Anfield, he’s already had nearly double the number of minutes that he was granted in Bavaria (Transfermarkt), so he won’t have any regrets about getting out of the Allianz Arena.

Some of his performances have had their flaws (the bollocking he received from Jurgen Klopp for not tracking back during the 3-1 defeat to Arsenal springs to mind), but he’s still only 21 and is adapting to yet another new club, league and country.

The goal for the young midfielder is to disprove doubters such as Kieft and show that he unquestionably belongs at a club of Liverpool’s statue. So long as he learns from the experiences of his first season in England, he has the talent to prove that the Reds made the right decision to land him from Bayern.

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(Video) Adrian plays childishly hilarious trick on Ryan Gravenberch in training

Wash N'Gog — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 17:28:44 +0000

You’d think the world had ended after Liverpool dropped points to Manchester United at Old Trafford – a notoriously difficult ground for the Reds to win at.

At least, that seemed the case on social media after the full-time whistle blew on what was a frustrating afternoon in Manchester.

It doesn’t seem to have affected the mood on the training ground.

Ryan Gravenberch was the subject of some gentle teasing from his Liverpool teammates as Adrian jokingly tugged down his snood.

You can catch the clip below, courtesy of LFCTV (via @drwnunez):

pic.twitter.com/5VfSTeLHw0

— hae (@drwnunez) April 10, 2024

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(Video) Klopp ‘100%’ promises more minutes to his ‘incredible talent’

Peter Kenny Jones — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 14:55:48 +0000

Jurgen Klopp is blessed to have a squad full of great options and that means that some great players aren’t always able to be handed the minutes they deserve, something he clearly feels guilty about.

Speaking with the press about Ryan Gravenberch, the boss said: “Ryan played for us super-important games. He got injured in bad moments where he could get some rhythm.

“Then he had a little injury here and there again. Incredible talent, crazy first touch and movements, acceleration – all fantastic.

“But we have a really good midfield together and he will get minutes more and more, 100 per cent, and will go his way, 100 per cent.

“He’s an incredibly talented player and I really think he’s in the right place, in the right club.”

It’s testament to the talents of the Dutchman that his manager can speak so highly of him but after leaving Bayern Munich in search for more game time, the 21-year-old must be frustrated.

Now it’s up to him to take any opportunities that come our No.38’s way, in an attempt to impress the current and new manager at Anfield.

You can watch Klopp’s comments on Gravenberch (from 29:58) via Liverpool FC on YouTube:

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‘See his talent…’ – Ryan Babel backs Liverpool youngster to become ‘a great asset’ at Anfield

Liam Togher — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 09:01:09 +0000

Ryan Babel has said that Liverpool have a gifted young player who could go on to become a ‘great asset’ at Anfield.

It was in the final hours of last summer’s transfer window that Ryan Gravenberch joined from Bayern Munich, with the 21-year-old going on to make 31 appearances so far for the Reds, albeit with only nine Premier League starts to his name (Transfermarkt).

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Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, the former LFC winger insisted that his compatriot is still settling in on Merseyside but has the qualities to become a huge success for his current club.

Babel said: “I was really happy and pleased to see Gravenberch join last summer. I think he needs some time to settle, but once he does, I think he can be a great asset for Liverpool. We will soon all see his talent.”

Gravenberch was highly impressive in the Europa League group stage for Liverpool, with two goals and an assist in that phase of the tournament (Transfermarkt), although he hasn’t yet been able to nail down a regular starting berth in the English top flight.

There are occasions when it’s clear that he’s still adapting to the rigours of the Premier League, such as when he surrendered possession all too easily in the lead-up to Bukayo Saka’s goal in our 3-1 defeat at Arsenal in February and failed to adequately track back, which saw him castigated by Jurgen Klopp on the touchline.

However, it must be remembered that he’s still only 21 and playing in his first season in England, having arrived off the back of an abortive campaign at Bayern in which he barely featured, and he wouldn’t be the first player who needed a few months to truly hit their stride at Anfield.

Think back to 2017, when Andy Robertson had to bide his time behind Alberto Moreno before ultimately dislodging the Spaniard. Fabinho is another example of a signing who initially felt like a slow burner before eventually catching fire in a big way for Liverpool.

We’re sure that there’s much more to come from Gravenberch, who still has more than enough time on his side to consistently hit the levels that he appears capable of reaching for the Reds.

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(Video) 21-year-old makes triumphant return to Liverpool training; missed last four games

Peter Kenny Jones — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 17:00:30 +0000

It’s been a rocky period in terms of Liverpool injuries but we can finally start to see light at the end of the tunnel, with one man returning to action.

Thanks to live footage shared of training before facing Sparta Prague at Anfield, we can see that Ryan Gravenberch is back among the first-team.

After watching Ibou Konate and Stefan Bajcetic train alone the day before, it’s great to see that our issues are finally easing a little.

Let’s just hope for no further fitness concerns against the side from the Czech Republic and then against Manchester United in the FA Cup, with some minutes possible for the Dutch midfielder in the meantime.

You can watch the footage of Gravenberch via Liverpool FC on YouTube:

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‘My understanding is…’ – Romano outlines the view from inside Liverpool on their 2023 signings

Liam Togher — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 07:21:09 +0000

Fabrizio Romano has revealed how Liverpool chiefs internally view the four first-team signings they brought to the club last summer.

It was an off-season of much change at Anfield, with no fewer than five senior midfielders departing and four coming in, three of whom were 24 or younger at the time of their arrival.

In his latest Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside, the Italian transfer reporter has said that the Reds’ hierarchy couldn’t be happier with their recruitment in 2023.

Romano outlined: “Four new signings came in, with Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch all joining and looking now like fine business by Liverpool.

“My understanding is that Liverpool are super happy with how they handled this important phase of recruitment. Not just now, but already in September Liverpool felt they did an excellent job. Mac Allister in particular is considered an incredible signing, a bargain considering conditions of the deal.

“It’s the same with all the other midfielders who joined the club, especially Endo, who was not the biggest name but who has surprised a few people here in England, and they’re also convinced that Gravenberch’s future will be at the very top level as he bounces back from a difficult spell at Bayern Munich.”

For a time last summer, it felt as if Liverpool were slow to progress with rebuilding the midfield. By the time of our first Premier League match against Chelsea in August, only Mac Allister and Szoboszlai had arrived, and the Reds were also hit by the unexpected double whammy of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho leaving for Saudi Arabia.

The frustration for some supporters was compounded by missing out on two heavily-linked targets in Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, who both went to Stamford Bridge for a combined £173m.

Nearly seven months on, the outlook could hardly be more different. Once Endo and Gravenberch were signed, it felt as if LFC had adequately addressed their midfield depth, with the four summer signings brought in for an overall sum of £147m (Transfermarkt).

Not only did Liverpool add two more midfielders than Chelsea for £26m less, they’ve also enjoyed far better value for that quartet than the Blues have with their aforementioned duo.

In one single transfer window, Anfield chiefs may have sorted that area of the pitch for the next several years, turning a problem position into one of considerable strength within a matter of months.

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(Image) Gravenberch provides injury update ahead of crucial City clash

Peter Kenny Jones — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 14:58:09 +0000

Ryan Gravenberch was last seen getting his ankle attacked by Moises Caicedo and after celebrating our Carabao Cup win on crutches, a comeback date hasn’t been confirmed.

However, taking to his own Instagram stories, the Dutchman has shown that the protective boot and crutches are no longer needed.

This will come as a huge boost ahead of our Europa League tie with Sparta Praha and the crucial clash with Manchester City.

Seeing the injured players return to action will be a massive boost for Jurgen Klopp and let’s hope this is a positive trend that continues.

You can view the image of Gravenberch via his Instagram stories:

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Sander Westerveld says Liverpool have two players who’ll be ‘very important’ in the long-term

Liam Togher — Sat, 02 Mar 2024 10:09:51 +0000

Sander Westerveld has named two Liverpool players who he believes will be ‘very important’ figures at Anfield in the long-term.

The former Reds goalkeeper was speaking to The Redmen TV when he praised compatriots Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch, both of whom he described as a ‘perfect fit’ for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

The 49-year-old said: “Gakpo when he came in the first couple of months, he was amazing. He adapted very well, which shows how experienced he is at a younger age. I think Gravenberch has a lot of potential and desire to play because he was not involved at Bayern Munich after being a big talent at Ajax.”

“Gravenberch plays so many positions in midfield and Gakpo as well up front. They will be very important for Liverpool in the future.”

Although the Dutch duo have taken some criticism for a few performances this season, both possess plenty of talent and have shown that they can belong at Liverpool.

Gakpo has netted a respectable tally of 11 goals during the current campaign, including four in our victorious Carabao Cup journey and two in recent wins over Brentford and Luton when he compensated for the injury absences of Mo Salah, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez (Transfermarkt).

The 24-year-old will continue to be relied upon by Klopp for the remainder of the season as the Reds hunt down a potential quadruple.

Meanwhile, Gravenberch has already clocked up 65% more minutes for Liverpool since joining six months ago than he did in the entirety of 2022/23 at Bayern Munich, and he looked particularly impressive during our Europa League group fixtures, helping himself to two goals (Transfermarkt).

The 21-year-old may have taken the brunt of his manager’s ire during the defeat to Arsenal last month but he’s still shown that he has the talent to succeed in the long run at Anfield, and at his age he still has a lot of scope to get even better.

With several Reds stalwarts now into their 30s, Klopp’s successor will be looking to younger figures like Gakpo and Gravenberch to become standard bearers within the team over the coming years. Both still have plenty of chapters to write in their respective LFC careers.

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(Video) What Ryan Gravenberch did after being put on crutches at Carabao final

Farrell Keeling — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 08:46:08 +0000

Ryan Gravenberch’s ligament injury will see him ruled out of the next two games, according to Jurgen Klopp.

Even though the Dutchman will have likely had some inkling of the relative severity of his injury, he was seen very much in high spirits amid our Carabao Cup celebrations.

Footage shared on X by @drwnunez shows the former Bayern Munich ace dancing complete with crutches and aircast boot.

Never change, Ryan. Never change!

You can catch the clip below, courtesy of @drwnunez:

gravenberch dancing while he’s on crutches pic.twitter.com/rp7OJTKD4v

— hae (@drwnunez) February 27, 2024

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‘Not available’ – Jurgen Klopp confirms Liverpool injury blow ahead of Southampton clash

Liam Togher — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 14:04:15 +0000

Jurgen Klopp has confirmed news of a fresh injury blow for Liverpool prior to their FA Cup fifth round clash against Southampton on Wednesday night.

The manager spoke to the media this afternoon ahead of the fixture, and he ruled out any possibility of Ryan Gravenberch featuring after the midfielder saw his Carabao Cup final involvement ended early after shipping a heavy knock to the ankle from a reckless Moises Caicedo challenge.

The Reds boss said (via Neil Jones on X): “Ryan Gravenberch is not available. Ligament injury, could have been much worse, but bad enough that he is out for this game, next game, we will see.”

Jürgen Klopp

"Ryan Gravenberch is not available. Ligament injury, could have been much worse, but bad enough that he is out for this game, next game, we will see.."#LFC

— Neil Jones (@neiljonesgoal) February 27, 2024

With Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic all sidelined, and Wataru Endo also picking up a knock on Sunday, the last thing Liverpool needed was another injury blow to midfield, but that’s the hand we’ve now been dealt with the news on Gravenberch.

It could well lead to an academy talents like James McConnell and Bobby Clark being entrusted to start against Southampton, with both players having done tremendously to help get the Reds over the line in the Carabao Cup final.

Klopp added that Thiago mightn’t play again this season and Bajcetic isn’t back in team training yet, so our midfield could continue to be depleted for quite some time, a far from ideal scenario when chasing down three more trophies in the coming months.

The one positive from the manager on Gravenberch is the comment that the 21-year-old’s injury could’ve ‘been much worse’, and Liverpool fans everywhere would’ve been recoiling in horror at the severity of the tackle from Caicedo on Sunday, not least in the context of how many players we already have missing.

We hope to see the Dutchman back in action soon, and that whoever comes in for him tomorrow night can step up to the challenge with as much aplomb as our youngsters did at Wembley.

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(Video) New Liverpool player spotted on crutches after Carabao Cup win

Farrell Keeling — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 18:29:49 +0000

Liverpool Football Club have another League Cup trophy to their name following Virgil van Dijk’s late headed winner in extra-time.

Footage of the post-trophy lift in the stands saw Ryan Gravenberch hobbling down the steps on crutches following his first-half exit.

The Dutchman had been forced off the pitch after Moises Caicedo’s reckless challenge saw him stretchered off the field of play.

Here’s hoping the former Bayern man’s injury isn’t as serious as it appears.

You can catch the clip below via Streamable:

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(Video) Injury blow: Ryan Gravenberch leaving on a stretcher after nasty Caicedo challenge

Farrell Keeling — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 15:46:59 +0000

Jurgen Klopp was left infuriated by the failure to punish Moises Caicedo for a nasty challenge on Ryan Gravenberch.

The Dutchman was seen stretchered off the pitch following contact with the Ecuadorian international in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley stadium.

It remains to be seen just how long we’ll be without our summer signing, with our burgeoning injury list ever-growing.

Is it too early to be discussing an injury crisis at Liverpool? It looks like we might be already there.

You can catch the clip below, courtesy of @oltsport_:

Gravenberch is down and subbed out , Klopp is fuming.#CHELIV #CarabaoCupFinal pic.twitter.com/5F4rAxSaP0

— Olt Sports (@oltsport_) February 25, 2024

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(Video) The nasty Caicedo challenge that injured Gravenberch; no card given

Farrell Keeling — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 15:34:34 +0000

Liverpool fans across the globe will have been left scratching their heads after the absolute failure to punish Moises Caicedo for a horrible tackle on Ryan Gravenberch.

A challenge, it has to be emphasised, that left the Dutchman being escorted off the pitch on a stretcher befoe the half-hour mark.

And Mauricio Pochettino was of the opinion that the officials would favour his opponent!

Laughable stuff, all things considered!

You can catch the clip below, courtesy of @ViktorFagerLFC:

No red card

No yellow card

No free-kick

Gravenberch being stretchered off after 25 minutes pic.twitter.com/13mx4U7O7j

— Viktor Fagerström (@ViktorFagerLFC) February 25, 2024

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(Video) Ryan Gravenberch reminded supporters what he brings to Klopp’s side with strong showing v Luton

Max Rudd — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 19:00:22 +0000

Ryan Gravenberch was handed a chance from the start against Luton on Wednesday night and the Dutchman didn’t disappoint with a strong performance in the middle of the park.

With injuries to a number of our midfielders at the moment it’s likely that our No.38 will retain his spot in the starting XI for Sunday’s cup final at Wembley and he reminded supporters of what he can offer when at his best.

During our 4-1 defeat of the Hatters the 21-year-old threw in a lively performance and he’ll be excited by the prospect of representing the Reds at Wembley this weekend.

His ability to drive forward with his powerful dribbles from midfield and tendency to beat his man with a clever shimmy or drop of the shoulder is a joy to watch.

He also has a great eye for a pass and deserved the standing ovation he received from those inside Anfield when he was replaced by Bobby Clark with just over 10 minutes remaining.

Check the former Bayern Munich man’s best bits below via @TheRedmenTV on X:

That shimmy at the end when the defender just collapses ‍pic.twitter.com/9R5rtSm1CU

— The Redmen TV (@TheRedmenTV) February 21, 2024

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8 duels won, 5 tackles: £150k-p/w Liverpool tank was an unsung hero in 4-1 win over Luton

Liam Togher — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 22:12:25 +0000

Liverpool came from behind to defeat Luton 4-1 at Anfield on Wednesday night, extending their lead at the top of the Premier League table to four points.

The Reds were deprived of several key players through injury but those who did feature stepped up in the team’s hour of need, with four different goalscorers for Jurgen Klopp’s side as Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz and Harvey Elliott all struck.

However, there was one other player in red who can lay claim to the tag of unsung hero, giving a tremendous overall performance, as borne out by the statistics from tonight’s match.

As per Sofascore, Ryan Gravenberch won eight duels for Liverpool (joint-second highest of any Reds player), while also making five tackles, one clearance and one interception.

The 21-year-old had a very tidy game in possession, too, completing all but four of his passes, recording a 100% dribble success rate and executing two key passes.

The £150,000-per-week midfielder (Capology) came under the microscope earlier this month when TV cameras picked out Klopp berating him for substandard pressing in the lead-up to Arsenal’s opening goal in their 3-1 win over Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium.

However, this was a redemptive performance from Gravenberch, who stepped up in the absences of Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones and Thiago Alcantara to excel in the middle of the park.

The Hungary captain might be fit for the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, all going well, but the Dutchman put his best foot forward tonight and may well have left enough of an impression on his manager to be entrusted with a start at Wembley.

This is the kind of display that we love seeing from the 21-year-old, and hopefully he can build upon it during Liverpool’s injury crisis.

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