Ryan Gravenberch Explains How Arne Slot's Phone Call Helped Him Become Man Reborn For Liverpool
Ryan Gravenberch has revealed how a phone call from Arne Slot helped him to establish himself as a key player for Liverpool this season.
The 22-year-old has become a mainstay in Slot's midfield after the Dutchman missed out on Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi in the summer after the Spain international opted to stay at his boyhood club.
Gravenberch endured a mixed first campaign at Anfield following his transfer from Bayern Munich in August 2023 as he struggled for consistency and found himself in and out of Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI.
However, since Slot took over from the German, Gravenberch has been handed a new role and has excelled so far as the Reds lead the Premier League and Champions League tables.
Gravenberch has played every single minute of Liverpool’s 15 matches in the league and Champions League so far this campaign, having only made 21 starts in all competitions last season.
“I have indeed started playing more defensively,” Gravenberch told Soccer News.
“Last year, I went forward more often, but now I have to think more defensively. That change happened quite quickly.
“I have Virgil behind me to help me. If I go forward too much, he calls me back. 'Rio, stay here!' I notice that he has to call less and less often and that I focus more on defending. In attack, I try to read the game. That often works well.”
Ryan Gravenberch continued: “The coach called all the players for a talk. After the European Championship he called me to tell him how he saw me. He knew me from my time at Ajax, of course, when he was at AZ and Feyenoord.
“He told me what position he wanted to use me in and he put me at six. I went into it with an open mind. I played a lot at eight and when I was younger also at six.
“That helps, but now other things are being asked of me. In the youth I could go forward. Back then there was no Virgil who called me back!”
“I did not play much at Bayern, but I always knew that I would come out on top,” he said. “I became stronger because of that period.
“It was sometimes mentally tough, but I learned a lot from it. It is an experience that I still benefit from today.
“I made my first big transfer and then you think that it would be the same there, but it went completely differently. Fortunately, I lived with my parents in Munich. We had a lot of conversations and they kept me calm.
“Now I can put it behind me. It's great that I'm playing a lot of minutes as a starter at Liverpool again.
“I am happy of course. It feels good. I just try to do my thing every game. Of course it is nice when everyone praises you, but I have to make sure I am there every game. Hopefully I can continue like this.”
LFC Transfer Room Football Correspondent. Covered the fortunes of Liverpool for the past three years. Follow Joseph on X (formerly Twitter) @joseph_agbobli