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The ex-Liverpool coach has spoken about the impact that Ryan Gravenberch has had during the Premier League title charge.
Former Liverpool coach Vitor Matos has revealed that the club tried to sign Ryan Gravenberch earlier in his career.
The midfielder has been tremendous in the Reds’ push towards the Premier League title this season. After Arne Slot’s arrival as head coach, he has been deployed in the number-six role and has started every league game so far. Liverpool are 12 points clear at the top of the table with nine fixtures remaining.
Gravenberch arrived at Anfield from Bayern Munich for a fee of £34 million in August 2023. Signed by former manager Jurgen Klopp, the Netherlands international was largely used as a substitute and in cup competitions during his maiden campaign because of Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endo’s form.
However, Gravenberch could have become a Liverpool player several years earlier when he was coming through the ranks at Ajax. The Reds were highly impressed by the then-teenager when they played the Dutch giants in the Champions League during the 2020-21 season. However, Gravenberch joined Bayern in 2022 but spent just 12 months in Germany before Liverpool renewed their interest.
What’s been said
Matos served as elite development coach during Klopp’s reign. And the Portuguese has been highly impressed with Gravenberch’s performances this campaign. Speaking to Training Ground Guru, Matos said: “You can see players in different roles and one of those is Ryan Gravenberch, who is doing an outstanding season as a number six,” Matos said. “That is something that completely improved by itself the offensive game, in terms of how the ball moves, how the ball breaks lines, and the direction he can give with one touch.
“Sometimes this kind of thing happens – a need creates an opportunity and this creates a beautiful idea. In the beginning of the season, everyone spoke about Liverpool needing to sign a number six, because there was no-one. Alexis was coming back from the Copa (America) and Ryan grabbed the spot and grabbed it outstandingly. That creates a different dynamic and different things.
“We never used Ryan in that position before, because Alexis and Wataru were doing outstanding for us. Ryan arrived at the club having had almost one season without consistent game time, so it was not easy for him to adapt.
“We all saw his potential when we played against Ajax (in the Champions League in 2020), when he was there, and we were not able to catch him on that transfer window, so he went to Bayern. But we all – especially Jürgen and Pep (Lijnders, former assistant manager)– were big believers in him. We all saw his potential in terms of quality, so it was a matter of consistency and opportunity. This season, everything came together, and I’m really happy for him and for Liverpool.”
Slot’s impact
Matos served as part of Klopp’s Liverpool backroom team for five years. In that time, six major trophies were won including the Premier League. There was uncertainty among fans when the legendary German announced his departure and the relatively unheralded Slot was named as his successor.
But the former Feyenoord chief has proven plenty of those doubters wrong and Matos hailed the impact Slot has made. He added: “What Arne did is outstanding because it is not easy to replace Jürgen. We tried to leave the club – and Jürgen left the club – in a really good moment. The idea was to leave the club in a better position than when he arrived.
“The squad we left, we all had a feeling it was a squad ready to win titles. They have an unbelievable team in terms of togetherness. But it’s not easy to come to Liverpool, a big club, and replace Jürgen, someone that was so loved by everyone. What (Slot) has done is exceptional, of course. The game quality and, at the same time, being able to win consistently and that is the most important thing.”