Liverpool have stepped up their pursuit of Ryan Gravenberch in recent days, know his position and style of play
Who is the Bayern Munich midfielder and how could he fit in?
According to the Times‘ Jonathan Northcroft, Liverpool have “stepped up” their efforts to sign Gravenberch, valued at £25 million, including talks with his father and agent in the Netherlands.
This comes as part of a planned rebuild of the midfield ranks this summer, with the Dutchman expected to be one of at least three new faces brought in.
Who is Ryan Gravenberch: Bio, age, height, position, career stats, games, scouting report, FIFA 23 rating
In FIFA 23, he has got a rating of 79 and a potential of 88.
Age and height
Ryan Gravenberch is currently 20 years old and stands at a height of 1.9m or 6’3”.
🚨 BREAKING: Bayern have decided that Ryan Gravenberch is not for sale. The club has already informed the Dutchman of that. Bayern believe Gravenberch will make his breakthrough at the club next season [📰 @Plettigoal] pic.twitter.com/olNxloZmov
— Anything Liverpool (@AnythingLFC_) April 17, 2023
Ryan Gravenberch brief bio
Ryan Jiro Gravenberch is a Dutch professional footballer who was born on 16 May 2002 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Gravenberch currently plays as a midfielder for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the Netherlands men’s national football team. Ryan is of Dutch and Surinamese nationality and has a brother named Danzell Gravenberch.
Career
Despite still yet to turn 21 until May, Gravenberch has already been playing on the senior stage for almost five years now. Ryan initially emerged as a senior professional when he was a 16-year-old at Ajax.
He played his debut match against PSV Eindhoven back in 2018 and became the youngest-ever Ajax player to feature in the Eredivisie. He broke the previous record held by Clarence Seedorf for almost 26 years.
Granvenberch is a product of the Ajax academy, after joining them from local club AVV Zeeburgia in 2010. Gravenberch eventually established himself quickly as a key player in Amsterdam. Across four seasons, Gravenberch has made 103 appearances, scoring 12 goals and 13 assists. Following which he eventually joined Bayern Munich in a £21 million deal just last summer.
Similar to Liverpool stars and fellow Dutch teammates Virgil van Dijk and Gini Wijnaldum, Gravenberch is of Surinamese descent. The 20-year-old made his debut for the Netherlands national football team back in 2021.
Ryan Gravenberch playing style
After joining Bayern in 2022, Gravenberch shared:
“I’m a big player, but also technical”
The 6’3” Dutchman has primarily played as a central midfielder for both Ajax and Bayern, either in a two-man or three-man unit. Just recently, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel explained that Gravenberch is best as a No. 8.
When joining Bayern, Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said:
“Ryan Gravenberch will offer a lot to our team. He’s one of the biggest talents in Europe, has superb technical ability, always finds solutions in tight spaces, is very dynamic and a goal threat.”
During pre-season, Bayern teammate Joshua Kimmich explained that Gravenberch “hardly loses a ball.”
As a footballer, Gravenberch can be considered as a progressive midfield player, who always looks to move the ball up the pitch whenever possible. According to various stats, Granveberch has a similar play style to Brighton midfielder Alexis Mac Allister.
Strengths and weaknesses
Gravenberch plays his best when playing as a ball-carrying and line-breaking No. 8 while also dropping deep to build up play from the No. 6 position.
Although he is still a developing player, Gravenberch is a midfielder who carries possession before linking with the attacking players, This attributes make him a serious goal threat.
Across the past year, Gravenberch has featured in the 95th percentile for shot-creating actions among all midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues. He is also in the 93rd percentile for expected goals and assists.
However, one major concern in his play is his work rate off the ball. Reports back in November have previously highlighted how Bayern coaches identified Gravenberch’s defensive game as “problematic.”
Ryan Gravenberch role at Liverpool
Ryan Gravenberch is still largely a work in progress who is still yet to secure a trusted role at Bayern. He only has four starts and 711 minutes throughout this season. However, Klopp has a clear vacancy amongst his midfield ranks. Although the Dutchman may not make an immediate impact as a first-choice starter, he could ideally fit into the role of one of the No. 8s.
However as stated earlier, there are concerns over his off-ball work. This could mean that Gravenberch may require more time on the training ground before eventually gets a regular role.
If he does arrive at Merseyside, Gravenberch could initially take up one of the squad roles presently held by Naby Keita, Arthur, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Once he progresses on that role, he would eventually develop into the world-class midfielder that many projected him to be.