02 September 2023 , 08:14
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Jurgen Klopp has dismissed any doubts over the ability of Ryan Gravenberch despite his new man struggling to make an impact at Bayern Munich last season.
After months of speculation, Liverpool finally confirmed the signing of the Dutch international just hours before Friday's 11pm deadline. The 21-year-old signed on a five-year deal for an initial £34.2million fee.
The move comes little more than a year after Gravenberch arrived in Germany from Ajax, having played his part in three Eredivisie and two KNVB Cup wins. But despite then adding a Bundesliga medal to his collection in the 2022/23 campaign, the youngster failed to make an impact at Bayern, the bulk of his 24 league appearances coming from the bench.
And it became clear he wasn't integral to Thomas Tuchel's plans this time around, confined to a substitute role in their opening two league games. After a deal was agreed with Liverpool, the ex-Chelsea boss explained why the player hadn't featured regularly.
"He's a box-to-box midfielder for me, an attacking player," he told reporters. "The main problem for him is that we don't really play with a [number] eight in our 4-2-3-1 system. And we're spoilt for choice up front, with really experienced players."
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Indeed, after the deal was confirmed, Klopp brushed aside suggestions that his new man was still unproven following his underwhelming year in Germany. "He is 21, played over 100 games for Ajax already," he told the club website.
"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."
Gravenberch has signed for a £34.2 million fee (Liverpool FC via Getty Images)HAVE YOUR SAY! How do you rate Liverpool's summer transfer window? Comment below.
Gravenberch join Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo as the summer recruits at Anfield, taking Klopp's spending in the window beyond £140million. And he declared himself delighted to have joined.
“I’m very happy. Very happy that the deal is done and I’m finally here,” Gravenberch said. “If you see it from the outside, it’s one of the biggest clubs in the world. Also the fans, the stadium, I think everything from the outside is top.”
However, fans of the Reds will have to wait for his Premier League debut. Because the deal wasn't completed by 12pm Friday, he won't be eligible to play against Aston Villa on Sunday.