It’s funny how quickly the narrative can change. A few weeks ago, Liverpool were being applauded for what looked like a successful transformation of their midfield. Out with the old, in with the new and all that.
But, following a pair of disappointing results away to arch rivals Manchester United, and following successive Anfield defeats to Atalanta and Crystal Palace, opinions have shifted.
Dominik Szoboszlai has gone from ‘Signing of the Season’ candidate to more poser than playmaker. Wataru Endo, having turned 31 in February, is seeing his long-term prospects come under the microscope.
And Ryan Gravenberch, the £34 million summer signing from Bayern Munich, is now being told that he made a mistake joining Liverpool in the first place. In fact, ahead of Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final second leg between Jurgen Klopp’s side and Atalanta, one former Netherlands international wonders if his compatriot would have been better served lining up for the opposition, following in the footsteps of fellow Dutchman Teun Koopmeiners.
Ryan Gravenberch facing Liverpool questions
“If you look at (Koopmeiners), for example, he has never been seen as such a great talent as Gravenberch,” Wim Kieft tells the KieftJansenEgmondGijp podcast. “But he goes to Atalanta. A sub-top (team) in Italy. He enjoys his minutes there.”
Koopmeiners played the full 90 minutes as Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta asphyxiated a stunned Liverpool, cruising to a 3-0 away win which will test the limits of Klopp’s so-called ‘mentality monsters’.
Gravenberch, meanwhile, didn’t even get off the bench last week. That is becoming something of a running theme. The former Ajax starlet watched on from the sidelines as Liverpool dropped four points against Man United and Crystal Palace.
“Isn’t that the greatest madness there is?,” Kieft adds. “You go to Bayern Munich. He was very erratic at Ajax, but went to Bayern anyway. Things didn’t go well there. Of course, the coach (Thomas Tuchel) told him that he saw it in him.
“But then you wouldn’t (normally) go to Liverpool after such a season.”
Gravenberch, still only 21, has had his moments in a Liverpool shirt of course. He put in dazzling displays against the likes of Fulham and Toulouse, picking up the ball between the lines, shrugging off challenges and driving forward with poise and purpose.
But there must be a reason why Gravenberch started only three Bundesliga games at Bayern, despite the Bavarian outfit’s obvious deficiencies in the centre of the park.
Is the Dutchman good enough?
“Honestly, I thought Gravenberch was terrible,” one-time Liverpool ace Steve Nicol told ESPN after one particularly disappointing display back in January in the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
“He did absolutely nothing to persuade Klopp to start him again soon.”
Gravenberch may be hoping for a new lease of life under Klopp’s eventual successor, whoever that may be. The leading candidate, following Xabi Alonso’s decision to stay at Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen, appears to be Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim.
HITC has been told the 39-year-old has risen to the top of Liverpool’s wishlist, even if Amorim himself is keen to play down the talk surrounding his potential departure to England.
“This is the last time I’m going to talk about my future. There was no interview and certainly no agreement (with Liverpool),” Amorim says.
“The only thing we all want here is to be champions with Sporting, nothing will change. I’m the Sporting coach and there was no interview or agreement with any club.
“I’m just focused, as always, on representing my club. As I no longer have anything else to say…
“There will be no interviews or agreements with the Sporting coach. The matter is completely resolved, whether related to this club or another.”
The aforementioned Koopmeiners, meanwhile, was watched by Tottenham, Newcastle and Man United during Atalanta’s famous win at Anfield a week ago, HITC understands.
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