Liverpool have been heavily linked with Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch in recent weeks after dropping out the race for Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham.
After months of rumours linking Bellingham with a move to Liverpool, the ECHO understands that the Reds have dropped their pursuit of the England international, with the Reds' attention now turning elsewhere. Rather than spending all their transfer budget on the Borussia Dortmund midfielder, Jurgen Klopp may look to bring in multiple players for smaller fees, with Bayern's Gravenberch a name on Liverpool's shortlist.
Gravenberch joined the German side for around £20million last summer but has struggled for game time in Munich, making just four stars so far this season. A report from Sky Sports claims that Anfield officials have met the Dutchman's representative and father over the last few months, with the latter "engaged" by the Reds' pitch.
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So, if Liverpool were to bring Gravenberch to Anfield, how could he perform? Could he help improve the Reds midfield, or could he prove to be the wrong option?
We 'signed' Ryan Gravenberch for Liverpool from Bayern Munich in the summer transfer window
To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2023 editor to arrange for Gravenberch to sign for Liverpool from Bayern in the 2023 summer transfer window, using FM23 to run the simulation. We then simulated the 2023/24 season to see what sort of impact the 20-year-old could have.
As well as Gravenberch, the Reds signed Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Carlos Soler in the summer transfer window to add extra depth to their squad. Despite his young age, Gravenberch became a regular for the Reds and impressed immensely in his first season.
The midfielder was a regular in all competitions, making 50 appearances with 43 of those starts. Compared to the rest of the Liverpool squad, only seven players made more appearances than the Dutchman, with Gravenberch grabbing three goals and three assists in his first season.
Deployed in a deeper role by Klopp, the 20-year-old's best competition based on rating was the Carabao Cup, though he also impressed in the Europa League, making 10 starts and averaging a rating of 7.17. Across all competitions, Gravenberch averaged a rating of 7.1 per game, the second-best out of all the Liverpool midfielders.
Summer signing Soler was the more advanced of the Reds midfielders, with the Spaniard impressing with nine goals and six assists in all competitions. Stefan Bajcetic had the third-best rating at the club, closely followed by Thiago and Harvey Elliott.
At the end of the 2023/24 season, Football Manager 2023 put together an overall best Liverpool XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what it looked like:
Full Liverpool best XI: (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Konate, Robertson; Gravenberch, Henderson, Soler; Salah, Nunez, Diaz.
Along with fellow summer signing Soler, Gravenberch made the Liverpool best XI from the 2023/24 season, with the two joining Jordan Henderson in the midfield three. There was no space for Fabinho, Thiago or Bajcetic in the midfield, whilst Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota were kept out the front three by Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz.
Liverpool's results from the 2023/24 season with Gravenberch in the squad
With their new midfield reinforcements, Liverpool improved in the 2023/24 season, but not enough to be involved in the title battle. The Reds did secure a spot in the top four though, finishing third and claiming a spot in the Champions League for the following season.
Liverpool ended the season on 74 points, with 10 losses playing a bit part in their failure to challenge for the title. Klopp's side lost six games between January and February to drop off from the title race, with the Reds finishing five points behind Chelsea in second and a whopping 22 points behind winners Manchester City on 96 points.
Klopp's side were the second-highest scorers over the course of the Premier League campaign, whilst also conceding the second-fewest number of goals. Despite not coming close to a Premier League title, Liverpool were incredible in the cup competitions, reaching all three finals and winning two.
After earning a spot in the Europa League, Liverpool went all the way to the final where the Reds faced AS Monaco. Nunez scored the only goal of the game to secure a 1-0 win and hand Klopp his first Europa League title as Liverpool boss.
The Reds faced Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final, but after a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes, City won on penalties, with Liverpool scoring their first and missing their next three. But, they did the FA Cup, with a Diaz brace followed by a Nunez goal securing a 3-1 win over Arsenal.
Overall, if Liverpool were to sign Ryan Gravenberch, the Reds could get back to their best, finishing in the top four, reaching three cup finals and winning two. Gravenberch starred, averaging better ratings than any of the current Liverpool midfielders and playing a big part in their Europa League success.
Would you like to see Liverpool sign Gravenberch in the summer? Let us know in the comments!
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