Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch has made quite the impact during his time at Liverpool. Going from a sort of consolation prize in summer of 2023 when he joined the club on the last day of the transfer window after the club whiffed – rather spectacularly – at signing Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia (both to Chelsea, coincidentally). While there were reasons to be guardedly optimistic, it’s important to note that the Dutch midfielder himself came with the a bit of a reputation as a former prodigy
who couldn’t nail down a place at Bayern Munich.
Fans of the club, probably parsing together the aforementioned failed transfers and the last minute nature of this one, looked at Gravenberch as, at best, a cheap alternative and, at worst, a reclamation project. When you add up the limited game time he saw under Jurgen Klopp in the German boss’s last season, no one could have really predicted that he would become such an integral part of Arne Slot’s title-winning side.
Now, he’s arguably Liverpool’s most important midfielder over the past two seasons and likely the first name on Slot’s teamsheet. Durable, technically gifted, and quickly adaptable to a new position over that time, if he was a reclamation project, it’s tough to consider one that has come so far around on the other end as Ryan Gravenberch.
What’s more, as he reminded during his interview with the official site following the announcement of his new contract, the best is likely yet to come:
“I’m still 23 years old, so I can do much better as well. But we will see in the many years to come. I think there will be a better version of myself in the future.”
23 years old. 23 years old. It’s so easy to forget just how young this Liverpool squad is and, in particular, how it looks like the core will all be reaching prime age together. This season’s results have been less than ideal – perhaps a reflection of the relative youth of the squad that Slot helms – but, like Gravenberch, it will only improve.
Ryan’s entire interview is worth a read because it stands in what feels like a bit of a juxtaposition to the midfielder’s on-pitch demeanor: joyful where he seems so – as the kids say – demure when playing. This, in response to a question regarding a personal objective to improve his goal-scoring record, reveals a level of bounce and pep that I’ve never really seen from him:
“Yes! I think last season I didn’t score and this season I’ve already scored four goals. Yeah, I listened to my dad more as well! Obviously in the summer we trained together and that was one of the aims I had to improve. This season is going really good.”
While we will likely disagree on the overall assessment of the season, we can certainly agree that Gravenberch’s form has been one of the most consistent bright spots for the Reds. Now that it looks like he’ll be part of the core for at least a few more seasons, here’s hoping he can come good on his desire to improve, bringing the team along with him.
