From a luxury rotation player to the undisputed heartbeat of the Anfield midfield, the transformation of Ryan Gravenberch has been nothing short of meteoric. Under Arne Slot’s guidance, the Dutch international has evolved from a raw talent into a tactical powerhouse and his former manager has certainly taken notice.
In a glowing assessment of the 23-year-old’s recent form, his old boss didn’t hold back, declaring that the midfielder has finally bridged the gap to the elite. “He’s a world-class player now,” he remarked, stunned by the composure and physicality Gravenberch is displaying week in, week out.
Purchased for around the £34.2m mark back in the summer of 2023, it’s safe to say Gravenberch was initially a slow burner when first emerging on Merseyside.
First linking up with the Reds when Jurgen Klopp was at the helm, the skilful Dutch performer would only go on to make 26 Premier League appearances during his debut season with the Reds, which also fell on the German’s swansong campaign.
🇦🇷 Alexis MacAllister (26)
🇳🇱 Ryan Gravenberch (22)
🇭🇺 Dominik Szoboszlai (24)
Liverpool FC really secured their midfield for years to come, all in the 2023 summer transfer window 🤯👏 pic.twitter.com/Hcaw8zScYk
— OneFootball (@OneFootball) February 26, 2025
With only one goal next to his name from those league appearances, many might have feared that the 6-foot-3 machine would go down as a flop.
However, in the here and now, he is a shoo-in when it comes to Arne Slot’s team selections, leading to lots of praise coming his way from the wider football world.
“World-class” shouts are now coming Gravenberch’s way
Indeed, across his last two seasons at Anfield, the Amsterdam-born star has become the heartbeat of Slot’s midfield positions.
Last season, he was key to Liverpool lifting the Premier League title in style, as four assists came his way. He would become both a classy midfield operator and a battling brute for the Merseyside giants, leading to him starting all but one of his side’s league games for the campaign.
He hasn’t let up this season, either, with his standout showing against West Ham United last time out, resulting in him collecting an assist, but also winning six tackles and duels to gift the hosts a reliable anchor centrally.
This has led to his former Bayern Munich manager Julien Nagelsmann, praising his ex-player, who he didn’t always give the most opportunities to, when the pair were together in Bavaria.
💬 𝗤𝗨𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗦 – Julian Nagelsmann:
"Ryan Gravenberch is a top-class player, he already was a top player at Bayern [When I was the manager], but the situation was very complicated for him. Goretzka and Kimmich were ahead of him in the pecking order, and I had also promoted… pic.twitter.com/C89XNOp9VU
— LFC Transfer Room (@LFCTransferRoom) March 2, 2026
Staggeringly, only three Bundesliga starts would come his way for the German titans during the 2022/23 season, before Liverpool swooped in, with Nagelsmann now opening up on the reasons for his limited game time.
He said: “The situation was very complicated for him after his transfer from Ajax Amsterdam.
“Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich were ahead of him, and I had also brought in Aleksandar Pavlovic. Ryan’s job was to step on the gas in the last 20 minutes, but his player profile doesn’t fit that.
He can now admit, though, that Gravenberch has turned into a “world-class” product at Anfield.
He finished by stating: “Ryan is a player who needs rhythm throughout the game. Now he’s a world class player [at Liverpool thanks to regular playing time.”
Arne Slot provides an update on Florian Wirtz's injury ⤵️
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 2, 2026
The Germany head coach also gave his thoughts on Florian Wirtz’s turbulent time in England to date, as a back problem now heart-breakingly rules the 22-year-old out of games to follow against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Nagelsmann added: “When the whole world is writing that hundreds of millions of euros have been spent on a ‘flop, you take the first step to combat the perception.
One is forced to draw energy from the perception. That’s what Flo did. And that’s why I believe This experience was more valuable for his development than if he had scored eight goals and provided ten assists right from the start.”
On top of believing this will be good for him in the long-run, he is also tipping Wirtz to excel for the German national team in the upcoming World Cup.
He concluded by saying: “He joined a top team at the same time three other stars did.
“Everyone was fighting to claim their place. Flo got through it and I top my cap to him. What he accomplished there was not easy and this experience of his will help us on the national team.