Ryan Gravenberch is on the verge of becoming the answer to a pub quiz question.
Who was Jurgen Klopp’s last signing as Liverpool manager? Barring an unexpected end to the quietest of January transfer windows, that mantle will soon be the Dutchman’s.
Although a deadline day signing for the Reds last August, moving to Anfield in a deal worth up to £40m, the 21-year-old had long been a Liverpool transfer target. He had piqued Klopp’s interest when facing his side in the Champions League as an 18-year-old for Ajax back in the 2020/21 campaign, and they had shown interest prior to the midfielder’s move to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022.
Meanwhile, as his switch to Bavaria quickly turned sour, it started to feel like a deal could be done around the turn of the year. Speculation linked the Reds to a winter window move and the player’s then agent, Rafaela Pimenta, was even spotted at Anfield for the goalless draw with Chelsea on January 21.
Liverpool would then meet with Gravenberch’s camp in April as they conducted exploratory talks. While it would take another four months for Bayern to offer encouragement that a deal could actually be done, the Reds continued to hover in the background, sensing an opportunity.
Klopp would allude to such a fact when addressing fans at a test even for the new Anfield Road stand in mid-December, revealing that the Dutchman was far from a last-gasp addition.
“Oh, I am. I am…” he said when asked by LFC TV’s Peter McDowall if he had been energised by working with his young 2.0 side. “You never know before, but I had a really good feeling before we started pre-season.
“Clear we had two already with Macca (Alexis Mac Allister) and Dom (Dominik Szoboszlai) in, and we knew there was a chance for Ryan (Gravenberch).”
In hindsight, it is intriguing that such an address from Klopp took place only a few weeks after he had informed FSG of his intention to leave the club. He spoke with such positivity about the future as everyone, bar a select few, was left in the dark about his bombshell news that was still to come.
Still only 21, Gravenberch will now ultimately not enjoy his best years under Klopp. Having only shown glimpses of his talents during his opening half-season at Anfield, instead, he is the last leaving gift for his would-be successor – and one his current manager perhaps didn’t even realise he was making.
It has been a mixed start for the Netherlands international on Merseyside. While he would impress early on in his Liverpool career, registering two goals and two assists from his first five starts for the club, he found himself frozen out on the national stage after earning the wrath of Ronald Koeman for snubbing an Under-21s call-up in September in favour of acclimatising in England.
But as autumn turned to winter, and perhaps adrenaline from finding himself in new surroundings ran out, Gravenberch started to find it harder at Liverpool. Despite a number of injuries in the Reds’ engine-room, he continued to find himself in and out of Klopp’s starting XI.
Handed his sixth start for the club against Nottingham Forest at the end of October, such an outing was a third-successive start at the time. Yet he would start back-to-back games only once more prior to the Premier League winter break earlier this month.
In those two and a half months, he ultimately floated in and out of matches and was loose on the ball when selected to start, prompting premature substitutions, and struggled to make an impact when introduced as a substitute. A 56th minute withdrawal in the League Cup semi-final first leg at home to Fulham was arguably his toughest night, with Klopp’s changes on the night inspiring a 2-1 comeback victory as he watched on, frustrated, from the bench.
Yet he has demonstrated signs of revival over the past fortnight since returning from the winter break. A substitute in the 4-0 thrashing on AFC Bournemouth, he was then elected to start the semi-final second leg away at Fulham.
An 84-minute appearance proved to be his longest to date for the club, and only the third time he had boasted more than 67 minutes of action against domestic opposition since moving to Merseyside. Yet he would go one better against Norwich City on Sunday.
Rewarded with a long-awaited successive start, he completed his first 90 minutes for Liverpool against the Canaries. And he marked the occasion by celebrating wildly in front of the Kop when heading home in stoppage-time to wrap up a 5-2 victory.
His first successive starts and goal contributions since the end of October, it was another step in the right direction for the 21-year-old after an encouraging display.
In truth, Gravenberch has found himself subject to grumbles from certain sections of the fanbase in recent weeks. Evidently, some always desire a boo-boy, be it at the sight of him starting or when jogging off early after an uninspiring display.
But the 21-year-old deserves slack with it quite frankly obvious why he has taken his time to find his feet in England.
His 90 minutes against Norwich marked the first time had completed a match since facing Inter Milan in the Champions League with Bayern on November 1, 2022. He would complete a full match just twice for the Bavarians as he found himself limited to six starts during his solitary season in Munich, and would register more than 67 minutes on only four occasions.
Starved of consistent game-time since leaving Ajax in 2022, it was always going to take him time to adjust to a new country for a second-successive season. Consequently, it is no coincidence that the majority of Gravenberch’s longest outings for Liverpool had come in the Europa League rather than Premier League.
It cannot be overlooked that his drop-off in form coincided with the festive period, considering this season would mark the first in his career without a traditional European winter break. Consequently, it is perhaps also no coincidence that he has since picked up again following the Premier League’s brief break.
Gravenberch is undoubtedly looking to make up for lost time following a frustrating season in Munich. And that was made even more challenging by the fact that he had to wait until deadline day to complete his move to Liverpool, being denied a pre-season under Klopp in the process.
He is not the first Reds player to be subject of supporter grumbles, with Curtis Jones perhaps the most obvious recent example. Yet his transformation into one of Liverpool’s leading players demonstrates the virtue of patience and sets the perfect example for his newest team-mate to follow.
The 21-year-old will now hope to enjoy a similar trajectory, once fully adapted to English football and its treacherous schedule while being blessed with consistent game-time and a full pre-season. Yet he has already shown more for the Reds than he ever managed in Munich.
Admittedly, that must now come under the watchful eye of a new manager. Klopp’s leaving gift at Anfield, it will be up to his Liverpool successor to ensure that the German’s long-held faith in Gravenberch is rewarded.
