Liverpool pulled off GENIUS £34m masterclass without even knowing it | OneFootball

It's not unusual for Liverpool to turn a reasonably-priced signing into a world-beater, doubling their value in the process. In fact, it's happened so much in recent times that it became the norm.

Of course, all football clubs would like to run their operations with such efficiency, getting the most value from their players while paying as little as possible, but it takes a complex degree of coaching in order to get the best performances out of players - Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot are masters of it.

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Mohamed Salah was more of an oversight by a lot of clubs, since he broke the Premier League goalscoring record in his maiden season at Liverpool; nine years on, he's still delivering an obscene amount of attacking returns, but that could never have been foreseen. His desire is unmatched.

Whereas, with Andy Robertson, however, another remarkable purchase, the Reds secured a player who simply needed someone to take a chance on him. Following two solid years at Hull City, his move to Merseyside went under the radar and since 2017, he's come on leaps and bounds, making an insane number of assists while staying defensively solid. He's also Scotland's captain as well.

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And right now, it appears as though the archetypal project under Slot's regime is clear for all to see.

Liverpool's £34m masterclass

There are a few different layers to this feat which the Reds have managed to pull off in stages.

Ryan Gravenberch was initially signed for £34m by Jorg Schmatdke, the temporary sporting director at the time (2023) and Bayern Munich had no issues with letting the player go, since the Dutchman had fallen out of favour with the manager - Thomas Tuchel, who had only recently joined the club.

In quotes via Bavarian Football Works in September 2023, he spoke about why Gravenberch was allowed to go, and given the hindsight Liverpool fans now have, the Germans made a big mistake.

He said: "He's a box-to-box midfielder for me, an attacking player. The main problem for him is that we don't really play with a No. 8 in our 4-2-3-1 system. And we're spoiled for choice up front, with really experienced players. Ryan is a very nice, hard-working, committed player.

"He wasn't happy with his situation. He sees the chances in Liverpool to fight for. palace at No. 8 in a 4-3-3. He's wanted to go for a while. An offer came in and we discussed it. It's not done yet, but the outcome is clear."

Initially, it was clear that Klopp fell into the same trap as Tuchel - giving him a No. 8 role that he somewhat fitted into, but wasn't given the licence to really express himself. Other players were preferred ahead of him and getting the best out of him was a major struggle at times.

Slot, however, saw things differently, using him to cover in a defensive midfield role, which the player took to like a duck to water, and then utilising multi-faceted technicians in the squad to finally add more balance to the Dutchman's game. Right now, we're seeing one of the best in the world shining.

From becoming a No. 6 to now playing a hybrid role as a No. 8, we've managed to get the best of both worlds, adding goals and assists to his game - four in five games so far - without compromise.

Ironically, which Tuchel believed that the time that not having any No. 8s in a 4-2-3-1 was the right thing to do, Liverpool now actually play that system under Slot and Gravenberch is integral for us.

Regardless of whether he's partnered by Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai or Curtis Jones, his place in the team is safe. He's slowly been developed into a master of all traits, covering wherever he's needed on the pitch. For a £34m player that Liverpool sure how to utilise, we've done pretty well.