07 September 2023 , 10:51
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Liverpool chiefs believe new signing Ryan Gravenberch can play a similar role to compatriot Georginio Wijnaldum.
Gravenberch completed a deadline day move from Bayern Munich to Liverpool for an initial £34.2m, having struggled for regular game time at the Allianz Arena. However, he is a player who has been on Liverpool's radar for a while and was targeted in 2021 when Wijnaldum left the club on a free transfer to join Paris Saint-Germain.
Wijnaldum enjoyed a hugely successful five-year stint at Anfield, developing into a key member of Jurgen Klopp's plans and barely missing a game. He helped the Reds win the Premier League and the Champions League and was never properly replaced when he left.
However, Liverpool may have now finally found his successor, with the Athletic stating that club chiefs spotted 'similarities' between Gravenberch and Wijnaldum while plotting the move.
The report adds that Liverpool had 'scouted Gravenberch extensively since his days in the youth ranks at Ajax', with the Dutchman breaking Clarence Seedorf's record when manager Erik ten Hag handed him his senior debut at the tender age of 16 years and 130 days against PSV Eindhoven.
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However, when the time came for Gravenberch to leave Ajax, he made the move to Bayern last summer in the hopes of propelling his career to the next level. But things did not work out for him in Germany, with Gravenberch's lack of minutes under both Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel prompting him to publicly share his frustrations.
"I expected to play more minutes than I did. I thought I would get some more chances," Gravenberch told ESPN in June. "It's about just wanting to play, that's the most important thing at my age."
Liverpool chiefs believe there are similarities between Gravenberch and former Reds star Georginio Wijnaldum (Getty Images)And given the player's frustrations at Bayern, Liverpool pounced, with chief scout Barry Hunter flying out to Holland to meet Gravenberch's father in April, setting the wheels in motion for the 21-year-old's eventual deadline day move to Anfield. "The main problem for him is that we don't really play with a No 8 in our 4-2-3-1 system," Tuchel said when asked why Gravenberch's time at Bayern had not worked out.
"He's a box-to-box midfielder, an attacking player. Ryan is a very nice, hard-working, committed player. He wasn't happy with his situation. He sees the chance in Liverpool to fight for a place at No 8 in a 4-3-3. He's wanted to go for a while."
And Klopp agrees with Tuchel's verdict, insisting Gravenberch will be a perfect fit for Liverpool. "What Thomas Tuchel said, the position he is best at, they don't really have in their system," Klopp said. We have that — that's good. He is super-talented. A good eye for a pass. He can be a real box-to-box threat. It fits into our squad."