Before Arne Slot, there was Jurgen Klopp.
Over on Merseyside, Liverpool are thriving this season, holding a seven-point lead over Arsenal in the Premier League. The Reds have also reached the final of the Carabao Cup and the last 16 of the Champions League. More on the latter two next month.
Slot has inherited an elite bunch, but his predecessor is hardly the driving force of this campaign. Slot is his own man, painstakingly picked from a shortlist by FSG toward the end of the 2023/24 season, with the American owners now reaping the rich rewards of their decision.
However, it would be remiss not to pay homage to Klopp’s last hurrah. Last season was fun and gripping – Liverpool won the Carabao Cup. But, however, it was the German’s success in the transfer market, rebuilding the midfield, that has had such a profound effect on this iteration.
Jurgen Klopp's last hurrah
Liverpool couldn’t get it wrong. The 2022/23 campaign had seen Liverpool splutter to the finish line like an engine running on fumes. The midfield, chiefly singled out as the crux of the issue, needed refitting.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner and Naby Keita were all leaving at the end of their contracts, but the sales of captain Jordan Henderson and number six Fabinho to the Saudi Pro League were unanticipated twists.
With Michael Edwards and then Julian Ward gone, Klopp was working with surrogate sporting director Jorg Schmadtke, but after activating Dominik Szoboszlai’s £60m release clause, freeing him from his contract with RB Leipzig and signing Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister for £35m, widely regarded as a bargain, Liverpool looked to have hit the jackpot.
A holding midfielder was still coveted, needed, but after botched bids for Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo, both of whom joined Chelsea, Klopp made the surprising move to sign Wataru Endo from Stuttgart for £16m.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, not least because we can look back and note Endo’s monstrous performance against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final, helping Klopp to win one more piece of silverware and restore Liverpool’s place in the Champions League.
The 2023 summer window is about to close. Liverpool have done their business, and done it well. The midfield was still missing a piece so, a certain something. That something was Ryan Gravenberch.
Ryan Gravenberch's Liverpool journey
On Saturday, September 2, 2023, Gravenberch left Bayern Munich to join Klopp’s Liverpool cause. He signed a five-year deal at Anfield, with the German giants receiving £34m.
Gravenberch is still only 22 but he’s cultivated a reputation as one of Europe’s most talented young midfielders since leaving Ajax in his homeland, and Klopp took a calculated risk on a multi-functional and gifted player.
However, his impact on Liverpool’s season was marginal, only starting 12 Premier League matches and even being branded a “passenger out of possession” by journalist Danny Corcoran, who also noted that he was “weak in the duel.”
Such issues have been ironed out in a fresh role under Slot’s wing, typically sat deep in the centre of the park, collecting and ferrying the ball into dangerous positions, so crisp and cultured and composed.
Matches (starts)
26 (12)
24 (24)
Goals
1
0
Assists
0
2
Touches*
28.8
67.8
Pass completion
83%
90%
Key passes*
0.6
0.9
Dribbles*
0.9
0.9
Ball recoveries*
2.8
5.3
Tackles + interceptions*
1.5
3.6
Total duels (won)*
2 8 (47%)
4.9 (59%)
As you can see above, the changes have been significant. Gravenberch’s rebirth in Slot’s project has been a surprise to many, for he has long been regarded as a rangy and skilful attacking midfielder, thrusting into the half-spaces and looking to make things happen from an offensive standpoint.
At Bayern, both Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel harboured frustrations about the prospect’s lack of application defensively, stuck between natural-born ability and half-heartedness across the scope of the game, across the grittier and less expansive parts of football.
But this new number-six-but-not-really role at Liverpool has finally given the £150k-per-week star the freedom to perform at a consistent and high level. Finally, at last, Gravenberch is a round peg slotting into a round hole, in fact becoming increasingly important for the Reds.
When Liverpool failed to convince Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi to leave the mountainous Basque County for Merseyside, all felt lost in the prologue of the 2024/25 campaign, but Slot proved from the offing that he’s a resourceful man, a determined gaffer.
Liverpool endured, and oh how they are reaping the rewards. Titles lay on the horizon; you can see them already. Without Gravenberch’s rise and rise, Anfield would be languishing among the Champions League hopefuls – or would be lower still.
The Dutchman’s silky motions – he’s been hailed as a “gliding machine” by podcast host Ilyas Noreaga – and intelligent decisions have seen his market value skyrocket. In fact, CIES Football Observatory’s player valuation model has revealed that Gravenberch currently boasts a market value of £82m, which equates to a 126% rise.
Just for contextualisation, CIES record that he’s currently worth more than superstars such as Alexander Isak, Martin Odegaard and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, which makes for an interesting and conclusive comment on his calibre.
Liverpool reporter DaveOCKOP has even gone as far as to say that Gravenberch “is turning into one of the best midfielders in the world.”
Perhaps the most exciting part is that Gravenberch still has so much room for growth. He’s already indispensable within Slot’s Liverpool and may just bloom into one of the best players in Europe.
For sure, if he replicates the 2024/25 campaign across each and every year, such a tag will be universally accepted.
Market Movers
Klopp’s last hurrah provided Liverpool with the framework for future success; last season, Gravenberch’s signature felt almost inconsequential, something that would be moved on after a year or two, but here he is, thriving.
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