Ryan Gravenberch: What would Liverpool's new target bring to their midfield?

With the signing of Wataru Endo from VfB Stuttgart, Liverpool's long pursuit for a specialist No 6 finally ended.

But rather than put their feet up, they decided to refocus. Another multi-faceted, versatile midfielder now topped the agenda, and in Ryan Gravenberch, that is exactly what Liverpool hope to get.

Negotiations with Bayern Munich to secure the 21-year-old on a permanent deal are ongoing, although a transfer may hinge on the German side bringing in a replacement.

Gravenberch would become the fourth midfielder to move to Anfield this summer and would represent another building block in a much-needed revamp.

He fits the Liverpool profile perfectly: young, versatile, high potential, yet already experienced having clocked up 137 first-team appearances for Ajax and Bayern Munich.

Not so many of those matches came last season, when his big move to Germany did not exactly go to plan. Gravenberch made just three Bundesliga starts in 2022-23, and only twice played more than 45 minutes in a league match.

He has remained on the fringes in the early weeks of this new campaign at Bayern, making his first appearance from the bench late on against Augsburg after being an unused substitute in their first two matches.

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Gravenberch in pre-season action against Liverpool (Photo: Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)

Despite Bayern team-mates praising his training performances and club officials believing he should be given more time to develop, manager Thomas Tuchel indicated that he would sanction a move. And that opened the door to Liverpool.

Liverpool have a long-standing interest in Gravenberch. They have tracked him for a number of years and he is still viewed as one of the most promising young midfielders in world football.

After missing out on Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, who both moved to Chelsea, Liverpool had to reset and reassess their options.

Endo offered an experienced option to replace some of the leadership lost with the exits of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, and he provides a safety blanket for a younger player to come in and not have all of the pressure on them to be the new No 6 immediately.

Due to Gravenberch's lack of minutes at Bayern, it is difficult to draw clear conclusions about what kind of player Liverpool will be getting. But the data from his final season at Ajax (2021-22), which earned him his move to the German champions, offers a clearer picture.

He has the versatility to play as a No 6 at the base of midfield or a No 8. At Ajax, Gravenberch largely played on the left side of a double pivot, but he is also comfortable operating on the left of a midfield three in more advanced areas.

In Liverpool's 3-box-3 system, the No 6 becomes the left-sided double pivot when Trent Alexander-Arnold moves into midfield in possession.

Out of possession, they transition into a 4-3-3 so there may be an element of moulding required if the plan is for Gravenberch to operate as the lone No 6 at the base of Liverpool's system.

So what type of player is he? Using smarterscout data — which gives players a rating from zero to 99, grading either how often they do a given action compared with others playing in their position (such as the ball recoveries and interceptions) or how effective they are (such as how well they progress the ball upfield) — we can take a closer look.

One of Gravenberch's stand-out attributes is his ability to carry the ball and advance his team up the pitch (carry and dribble volume: 92 out of 99).

In 2021-22, he attempted 3.9 take-ons per 90 minutes in the Eredivisie, which placed him in the top five per cent among all midfielders in that league.

His large strides, matched with his excellent close control, allow him to drive past opponents. He is happy to receive possession and his physicality, helped by his 6ft3 (190cm) height allows him to accelerate away from players. Notably, he was still very good at retaining possession (ball retention: 73 out of 99).

Gravenberch can draw players towards him and commit them with driving runs.

In this example, with Bayern away to Freiburg last season, the Dutchman holds off one opponent…

and then spins away from another.

It opens the pitch, and he spreads the play to build Bayern's next attack.

This could be a beneficial attribute for Liverpool when facing a compact defensive block. Not only does it mean he progresses his team up the pitch, but it can help in and around the opposition penalty area.

In the example below for Bayern — during this season's home win against Augsburg — Gravenberch is first to a loose ball and expertly wriggles between two challenges…

… before firing a pass into Harry Kane's feet. The England striker turns and gets a shot off.

Against Cambuur for Ajax in September 2021, Gravenberch, with his back to goal, turns his marker in the box despite a tight proximity to the touchline…

… and pulls the ball back for his team-mate, whose shot is saved.

In this summer's pre-season against Bayern, Liverpool got a glimpse of his ability to use his body to manipulate angles to drive past players.

Up against Harvey Elliott, Gravenberch receives a pass and turns backwards.

As Elliott presses him, he uses a body feint to outwit the Liverpool midfielder and drives into the space ahead of him…

… before releasing his team-mate.

Gravenberch possesses an intelligence and awareness to move into space to receive possession. He has a solid passing range and combines that with being comfortable receiving the ball under pressure.

He is less progressive with his passing (progressive passing: 18 out of 99), preferring to play simple passes over a short distance to keep things ticking (link-up play volume: 76 out of 99).

That is similar to how Fabinho profiled with his use of the ball, although he dribbled much less. Gravenberch does look forward. For Ajax, 16 per cent of his passes were progressive — defined as advancing the ball 10-plus metres — which was among the highest for midfielders in the division.

While Liverpool do not need their No 6 to be their creative spark — instead facilitating those in front and around them to do that — Gravenberch does possess attacking qualities that make him different to Fabinho.

He can break into the box (receptions in the box: 82 out of 99), although that is more likely to occur when playing in a more advanced position. He also contributed to chances via his ball progression (xG from ball progression: 51 out of 99).

One thing Gravenberch isn't is a defensive specialist. When operating as a double pivot in a 4-2-3-1 for Ajax, Edson Alvarez spent a lot of time screening the defence, while Gravenberch was given more freedom to express himself.

That does not mean he can't become one and, given his age, he could be moulded into a player that suits Liverpool needs. His smarterscout profile indicates that, while he is not the most active defender, he can be effective.

His defensive impact rating (77 out of 99), shows that he is very capable of stopping the opposition from progressing the ball and forcing turnovers when the assigned defender. Last season, Fabinho's rating was very similar (79 out of 99) in that category. The Brazilian, however, ranked higher at disrupting opposition moves (87 out of 99) which includes tackling, fouling, blocking and clearing per minute out of possession compared to Gravenberch's slightly above-average 53 out of 99.

His progressive instincts mean that when Gravenberch does win possession back, he tries to move his team forward quickly. In this example last season against Stuttgart, he reads an opposition pass…

… then retains possession by playing a pass inside to his team-mate to get Bayern going.

In Bayern's 5-0 win over Viktoria Plzen in last season's Champions League, he won possession back after tracking a runner, and then spots space to explode into.

He breaks into the opposition half and plays a progressive pass into his team-mate's feet.

Gravenberch is athletic and deceptively quick, which can make him an effective presser too — something that's crucial for Liverpool's high-intensity style. However, it may take some adaptation time for improved consistency.

“He has a lot of capabilities, especially in an attacking sense, but he understands hard work,” said Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, who was the player's head coach at Ajax before they both departed last summer.

After Gravenberch's frustrating season with a lack of minutes, Liverpool will be getting a player eager to play first-team football straight away. Depending on how quickly Gravenberch settles, he will be competing with Endo for the No 6 role or, as he gets up to speed with Klopp's tactics, he may be deployed in more advanced roles.

Liverpool's midfield options look strong and, if they do add Gravenberch, Klopp has an embarrassment of riches centrally, with a number of his possibilities offering him versatility to use them in different systems and positions depending on the opposition.

Another crucial element of this deal is that Gravenberch would not count towards the non-homegrown quota in the Reds' Premier League squad. As he is only 21, and was born after January 1, 2002, he counts as an under-21 player. However, this would not apply to Europa League squad registration rules as he has not been at the club for two years, which is required to be eligible.

That helps if Liverpool plan to do any further business: they still have one non-homegrown spot available, so their targets are not limited to those who began their careers in England or Wales.

When Liverpool's window is done and dusted, they may not have addressed all of their issues within the squad. However, despite not getting all of their primary targets, few can argue that they have improved their midfield options with youth, experience and availability.