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It's worrying stuff for those of a Reds persuasion, but at least Liverpool are firing across all cylinders this season and looking to lift the biggest and shiniest pieces of silverware around.
Trent-Liverpool-Premier-League
So many players have been exceptional under Arne Slot's tactical guidance.
Liverpool's best players in 2024/25
The most salient Liverpool member is of course Mohamed Salah, whose incredible prolific performances this season have served as attacking fuel for Slot's success.
At the other end of the pitch, captain Virgil van Dijk leads with unmatched authority, galvanising his troops and upholding the highest defensive virtues as he stakes his claim for being the world's finest centre-half at present.
Both out of contract at the end of the season, the experienced duo haven't let the noise deter them from their on-pitch goals, and in fairness, the same can be said for Alexander-Arnold, even with Real Madrid reportedly growing in confidence that they can snap him up this year.
Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold
All fantastic players enjoying fantastic seasons - and there are many more thriving Redmen besides. However, it's Ryan Gravenberch who might just be the pick of the bunch this term, for he has shattered the narrative around him to shape into an unlikely superstar.
Ryan Gravenberch's sensational rise
Liverpool signed Bayern Munich's struggling midfielder for £34m last season, something of a risk after he failed to make it work in Germany despite earning a hitherto prodigious reputation with Ajax in his homeland.
Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch
The 22-year-old has scarcely missed a minute for Slot's Liverpool this term, with Gravenberch's countryman sparking his latent qualities as a number six and pointing him toward the highest echelon of midfielders.
Real Madrid have reportedly been willing to pay £20m for Alexander-Arnold this winter to bring him to Santiago Bernabeu now, but Liverpool laughed this away from the transfer table. This is curious when looking at Gravenberch, who bears a £47m transfer price at the moment, as per Transfermarkt, but there are of course mitigating factors involved.
Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch
Gravenberch controls the engine room bravely and ably, blending his easy-moving style with a tenacious defensive game that has been sharpened and focused since the off-season.
Few - if any - foresaw this level of improvement after Klopp left having failed to get the proper tune out of the Dutchman's skill set.
Market Movers
Market Movers
Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?
Now, he's absolutely thriving, particularly given that Gravenberch is considered to be Moises Caicedo's most comparable Premier League player this season, as per FBref. Considering the monetary worth of Chelsea's midfield general, it's clear that the Netherlands native could eclipse the likes of Trent on the market even without the contractual factor.
Premier League 24/25 - Ryan Gravenberch vs Moises Caicedo
Stats (per 90)
Gravenberch
Caicedo
Goals
0.00
0.05
Assists
0.12
0.11
Pass completion
90.1%
88.5%
Passes attempted
59.60
62.81
Progressive passes
5.43
5.66
Progressive carries
2.14
0.91
Successful take-ons
0.98
0.53
Ball recoveries
5.26
6.14
Tackles + interceptions
4.05
4.81
Blocks
1.16
1.12
Stats via FBref
In August 2023, Liverpool failed to convince the Ecuador midfielder to forgo his prospective transfer to Chelsea despite seeing a British-record £115m bid accepted by Brighton.
Instead, Liverpool were forced into signing Wataru Endo as a stop-gap Fabinho heir before completing an exciting summer rebuild with Gravenberch's signature.
He might have only started 11 Premier League matches under Jurgen Klopp, ebbing and flowing, but is now irreplaceable as the deep-anchored linchpin of Slot's thriving midfield.
Liverpool are chasing down Premier League and Champions League titles, and if they succeed in either endeavour, Gravenberch is going to be viewed as an intrinsic and influential part of the triumph.
Liverpool have their own version of Chelsea's £115m man. Given that Gravenberch cost more than three times less that exorbitant figure, Slot and his brethren will hardly be rueing FSG's former transfer failure.
Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch
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