Three years ago, Jürgen Klopp did what no Liverpool boss had been able to do for 30 years by delivering the Premier League title to Anfield. After years of working under the German coach, the Reds dominated England’s top flight and ended up winning the competition by a comfortable total of 18 points.
Many stars grabbed the headlines throughout that campaign from Mohamed Salah to Sadio Mané to Trent Alexander-Arnold to Virgil van Dijk, but Klopp’s self-sacrificing midfield department drifted under the radar. The disciplined lieutenants in the middle of the park presented Liverpool with a platform to control its own environment, with one player in particular playing more minutes than anybody else.
It wasn’t the captain, Jordan Henderson, and it wasn’t the ‘lighthouse’ who was regarded as arguably the best holding midfielder on the planet at the time. Instead, it was a certain Gini Wijnaldum, who appeared in 37 matches from a possible 38 and started 35 of them, placing him behind only Van Dijk, who was the pillar of strength in Liverpool’s defense.
Wijnaldum was integral to the Reds throughout his time on Merseyside, and he accumulated so much time on the pitch because — in addition to never getting injured — he effectively painted himself as a blank slate of sorts, versatile enough to adapt regardless of the scenario at hand.
The Dutchman was complete and intelligent enough to deliver whatever Klopp asked of him. “I will miss the player he is like crazy,” said Klopp (via Liverpool’s official website) when Wijnaldum departed in 2021. “Highest-quality ability, one of the smartest players I have ever had the privilege to coach. His contribution was off the scale, a manager’s dream.”
When Wijnaldum first arrived on English shores, he had a reputation for scoring goals in his homeland, having found the net 14 times in his final Eredivisie campaign representing PSV Eindhoven. In his debut season in the Premier League, he primarily played as a wide player for Newcastle United yet still managed to score 11 times while registering five assists for the side that finished 18th in the table.
Wijnaldum also had experience of playing as an offensive number 10 for his national team, as he had a knack for making late runs into the penalty box and anticipating where the ball would land.
For Liverpool, Klopp proved to be keen to use him as a number eight who would sit behind the ball, but also drive forwards whenever the Reds needed a goal. He was a very useful tactical tool for his manager, having also operated as a number six in a red shirt, and even as a center-back and as a false nine.
Klopp has been navigating life without Wijnaldum for the past two years, but he still seems to be searching for that multifunctional presence who he can mold depending on the circumstances. Right now, Liverpool is hoping to strengthen its midfield department before the closure of the window this week, with Ryan Gravenberch known to be liked by the club’s recruitment team, in addition to Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz.
The Bayern Munich midfielder isn’t quite on Wijnaldum’s level just yet, but he is still just 21 years old. Gravenberch has quite a well-rounded skill set, he’s a physical presence and he’s tactically versatile, having emerged from the youth ranks at Ajax as a player who originally occupied deeper midfield spaces before being deployed further forward towards the end of his time in the Netherlands.
Luiz isn’t too dissimilar in that sense, as he’s gained experience over the years as a holding midfielder and as a number eight who drifts closer towards the final third.
Gravenberch has started just three matches in the Bundesliga since his transfer to Bavaria last summer, which is why the Reds seem to be monitoring his situation ahead of a late transfer move. There is a question mark attached to whether Gravenberch is what the current Liverpool squad really needs, but he has the qualities to become Klopp’s new Wijnaldum, as does Luiz, albeit perhaps to a slightly lesser extent considering he’s already aged 25.
Wijnaldum and Gravenberch have even played together, having represented the same national team. The difference, however, is that one has entered the twilight of his career whereas the other still has the world at his feet. If the Reds move for him this week, Klopp might finally address the void that he’s been forced to manage for the past two seasons.
