Liverpool legend Steve Nicol has said Ryan Gravenberch has been the Reds’ most impressive performer this season, suggesting he has had a greater impact than star forward Mohamed Salah. Nicol even said that without Gravenberch the Merseysiders might not have been sitting at the top of the Premier League rankings.
Liverpool were eager to sign a pivot in the summer transfer window. Real Sociedad maestro Martin Zubimendi emerged as their candidate of choice, with the Premier League outfit agreeing to trigger his £51 million ($64.6 million) release clause to prize him away from Real Sociedad. The move, however, collapsed as Zubimendi ultimately opted to stay with his boyhood club for one more season.
This left Liverpool with a hole in the middle of the park. So, Arne Slot took a gamble on Gravenberch and deployed him as the deepest-lying midfielder. Eleven games in, it is safe to say that the gamble has paid off handsomely, with Gravenberch rising to the occasion in every single match, helping Liverpool climb to the top of the Premier League rankings.
Steve Nicol: Ryan Gravenberch Has Been the Key Contributor Behind Liverpool Rise
Salah has once again fired on all cylinders for Liverpool, chipping in with eight goals and six assists in 11 Premier League appearances. However, according to Nicol, even the great Egyptian is no match for Gravenberch in terms of impact.
Speaking on ESPN, Nicol said (via Liverpool ECHO):
“It’s the importance that he’s (had). 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.”
He concluded by adding:
“I thought it was dead simple really (to pick Gravenberch as Liverpool’s best player so far). I thought it was straightforward.”
Gravenberch, who joined from Bayern Munich last summer, has played every single minute in the Premier League this season. He has completed 660 passes, delivered 14 accurate long balls, made 21 interceptions, completed 63 recoveries, and won 64 duels.
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