Gravenberch’s year-long stint with Bayern Munich was largely as an onlooker and he was never truly established as a regular last season under Jurgen Klopp, so you have to go back to his Ajax days for the last time he was an automatic pick in the centre of midfield, playing a large volume of minutes.
Back then he was emerging as one of the brightest young talents at a club whose reputation for producing them is legendary and it is entirely fair to describe Gravenberch as a long-term transfer target for the Reds.
Having tracked him since days at Ajax, Klopp was keen to conclude the deal in the summer of 2023, insisting to Mike Gordon and owners Fenway Sports Group that his addition was a necessity rather than a supplementary luxury when Liverpool committed around £150m towards rebuilding their midfield department.
Klopp said when Gravenberch’s arrival was made official: “Really happy to bring him in because he’s an exceptional talent. Everybody knows that. He is 21, played over 100 games for Ajax already.
“Had a, I wouldn’t even say difficult season at Bayern because in that age group it’s completely normal; you go into a world-class team and he had his minutes and stuff like this.
“But how Thomas Tuchel said today in the press conference in Munich I think, the position he is best at, they don’t really have in their system. We have that – that’s good.”
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At times it was difficult to ascertain what that role was. The Dutchman seemed too flighty to flourish as a tough-tackling midfielder but not creative or threatening enough to take the mantle as an attacking version and there was a suggestion that the intensity and volume of the fixtures began to take their toll around the typically hectic Christmas period last year.
Having not had to deal with that during his time with Bayern, it was a fair point but even when fate handed Gravenberch an opportunity it also conspired against him too. A start in the Carabao Cup final that owed to a crippling injury crisis in late February only saw the Netherlands starlet add his name to the absentee list after a poor tackle from Moises Caicedo. Liverpool, of course, went to lift the trophy but the midfielder left Wembley with a pair of crutches as much a souvenir as his winner’s medal.
It was suggested the arrival of Slot would enable the £40m signing to begin to really fulfil his early promise and those claims are beginning to look like astute observations as Gravenberch adds more eye-catching performances to his growing catalogue.
How much Liverpool’s known pursuit of Zubimendi acted as a motivational tool for Gravenberch only he will know but the decision to pursue the Sociedad star and the subsequent failure to get it over the line has coincided with a surge in form and fortunes for a player with a hugely exciting future ahead of him on Merseyside.
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