Ryan Gravenberch’s Rise at Liverpool: From Ajax Academy Gem to Premier League Title Winner | OneFootball

How Ryan Gravenberch Became the Gem in Liverpool’s Title-Winning Side

500,000 supporters flocked to the streets of Liverpool on May 26 for a rain-soaked trophy parade to celebrate their Premier League title, having previously been denied that opportunity five years earlier due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As Liverpool fans basked in their first championship festivities since 1990 and watched the club’s open-top bus pass through the city streets, it was hard not to be overcome by a strong Dutch aroma.

Between Virgil van Dijk, who has continued to stake his claim as one of the best center backs of all time, and Cody Gakpo, who has emerged as a versatile contributor in attack, and Arne Slot, who has handled the seemingly impossible task of replacing legendary manager Jürgen Klopp with effectiveness and decorum, various Dutchmen have helped Liverpool return to the top of the English game. And it should come as no surprise that Liverpool’s first summer signing has been Netherlands international Jeremie Frimpong, who is tasked with replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold at the right back position. Alongside Slot, Van Dijk, Frimpong, and Gakpo, yet another Dutch figure who looks set to play a leading role for Liverpool in 2025/26 is none other than Ryan Gravenberch.

Photo: IMAGO

Gravenberch’s Early Years

Born in Amsterdam, Gravenberch joined Ajax in 2010, where he would rise through the academy ranks, becoming the club’s youngest-ever debutant and goalscorer, and winning three Eredivisie titles and two KNVB Cups, before joining Bayern Munich for €18 million in 2022. Although he was able to add a Bundesliga title to his armoire, he was unable to assert himself in the starting line-up before deciding to depart after a year, joining Liverpool for a reported €40 million. However, Gravenberch struggled to convince in his debut campaign under Klopp, making just 26 league appearances (12 starts) and often looking lackadaisical in possession. It seemed that he wasn’t quite yet prepared for the pace and physicality of the Premier League.

Despite these initial struggles, Slot had no doubts about including Gravenberch in his starting line-up from the get-go. Whereas Klopp had mainly utilized Alexis Mac Allister or Wataru Endo at the base of the midfield in his final season, Slot jettisoned Klopp’s 4-3-3 for his tried-and-trusted 4-2-3-1 formation, where Gravenberch slotted in as a deep-lying playmaker. Gravenberch set the tone early on as Liverpool won seven of their first eight league fixtures, including a momentous display against Manchester United, which saw him win six out of nine ground duels and register four interceptions. It wasn’t long before Liverpool fans began to see that Gravenberch was, in fact, the ideal candidate for their midfield anchor, offering superior ball control and dribbling prowess to Endo whilst also doing the dirty work and enabling Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai the freedom to charge forward.

Photo: IMAGO

Fitting in at Liverpool

Whilst he may not have the goal-scoring reputation of Jude Bellingham, who Liverpool unsuccessfully chased two summers ago, Gravenberch does have a similar profile in terms of his powerful build, his lengthy strides, and his confident and composed nature in physical battles, capable of weaving past defenders with the ball glued to his feet whilst also remaining disciplined in his positioning. Gravenberch doesn’t demand the spotlight and is more than happy to provide the platform for the likes of Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota to attack without fear, and it’s perhaps this selfless nature above all that has seen him become an indispensable cog under Slot, starting in 37 of their 38 league fixtures.

One only needs to take a cursory glance at the statistics to get a sense of the 23-year-old midfielder’s importance. He is racking up 1.0 successful dribbles per 90 in the Premier League, second only to Salah and Diaz (1.5) with a better completion percentage (55%) than both. He ranks only behind Van Dijk (72.4) and Ibrahima Konaté (55.3) in terms of accurate passes per game (46.1), whilst only Mac Allister (2.7) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (2.2) registered more tackles per game (1.9). He also sits atop the squad for interceptions per game (1.6), whilst only Van Dijk (5.1) and Konaté (4.0) are averaging more clearances per game than him (1.5). In Europe, meanwhile, Gravenberch ranks atop their squad for interceptions per match (2.2) and tackles per match (2.4) as well as third for accurate passes per match (41.4), solidifying his status as one of the best young midfielders in the Champions League alongside the likes of Désiré Doué, João Neves, and Florian Wirtz.

“It’s no surprise that Gravenberch is playing the way he is now, and it certainly makes it easier that Slot already knew him from his time in the Netherlands, so he got a better insight into him,” stated Mitchell van der Gaag, who coached Gravenberch from 2019 to 2021 at Jong Ajax. “Sometimes we forget they’re still young players who need to adapt to a different country, a different culture, a different language…we expect them to perform right away after joining, but sometimes it’s more complicated than that. Gravenberch took his time adapting in his first season because they had quite a few new players, but under Slot, everything has come together this season. Slot knows him really well, and Graevnberch now knows the league and what to expect. I’m not surprised because I always saw that he was a really good player, but I’m happy for him.”

Buoyed by the confidence of his new Dutch manager, Ryan Gravenberch has been fully unleashed as an instrumental figure in Liverpool’s all-conquering midfield. He has quickly made Liverpool fans forget Martin Zubimendi, who rejected a move to Anfield last summer in order to remain at Real Sociedad, and demonstrated the unique skillset that saw him win the Eredivisie Talent of the Year award four years ago. And after beating out Liam Delap, Anthony Elanga, Dean Huijsen, Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro, Morgan Rogers and William Saliba for the Premier League’s 2024/25 Hublot Young Player of the Season award, there can be no denying: Gravenberch is not only one of the best young midfielders in the game, but one of the best midfielders, period.