Ryan Gravenberch Named Liverpool’s Most Important Player Of The Season By Anfield Legend Steve Nicol
Ryan Gravenberch has been one of the standout players under new head coach Arne Slot at Liverpool and according to club legend Steve Nicol, the Reds would not have been top of the Premier League table without the Netherlands midfielder.
Gravenberch, who moved to Anfield in the summer of 2023 from Bayern Munich struggled for consistency and found himself in and out of Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI last season, however since Slot replaced Klopp at Anfield, the 22-year-old has become a regular this term.
Liverpool's failure to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad in the summer transfer window led to Gravenberch being deployed as the deepest-lying midfielder. He has played every single minute of Liverpool’s 15 matches in the league and Champions League so far this campaign as they lead both standings.
Slot's side are five points clear at the summit and are now considered serious contenders for the title after just 11 matches played so far. Nicol, who won several trophies during his time at Anfield says Gravenberch is Liverpool's best player so far this campaign.
“It’s the importance that he’s (had)," Nicol told ESPN. “I mean, we’re basically looking at a team who looked as though they had absolutely a big hole in the middle of the park that had to be filled.
"They tried to make a couple of signings in that particular area, didn’t work out and so Gravenberch started.
“Absolutely I would argue that, without Gravenberch, Liverpool might not be top of the league, let me put it that way, how important he’s been.
“No, I thought it was dead simple really (to pick Gravenberch as Liverpool's best player so far). I thought it was straightforward.”
The Reds return to action on Sunday away to Premier League basement boys Southampton.
Gravenberch, in a recent interview, disclosed how a phone call from Arne Slot helped him to establish himself as a key player for Liverpool this season.
The former Ajax midfielder told Soccer News: “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!”
LFC Transfer Room Football Correspondent. Covered the fortunes of Liverpool for the past three years. Follow Joseph on X (formerly Twitter) @joseph_agbobli