Ryan Gravenberch’s struggles at Bayern Munich sparked fears he could be a lost talent – but it made him the player he is today.
The Dutch midfielder has lived up to the label of ‘new Frank Rijkaard’ that was once bestowed upon him following his success at Liverpool.
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The 23-year-old has been the Premier League champions’ best player this season and was named the best No.6 in the top flight.
Former Liverpool star Danny Murphy goes one step further and claims Gravenberch is the outstanding all-round midfielder.
It represents a remarkable turnaround for the latter, whose fortunes have been completely changed by the arrival of Arne Slot at Anfield in 2024.
Gravenberch’s Bayern Munich has problems
Two years earlier, Gravenberch was hailed as “one of Europe’s greatest talents” by Bayern’s former sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic.
Read more about Ryan Gravenberch
The Netherlands international had just completed a £21million move from Ajax. but Bayern only started six times.
Despite this, European football broadcaster Andy Brassell claimed Gravenberch had become a better player than he was at Ajax.
He told The Pitch Prospect.com exclusively: “The reason Gravenberch ended up at Bayern was because it wasn’t so much a planned signing.
“He had another year left at Ajax. And they just thought, ‘Oh yeah, we could use a young midfielder and there’s a chance there.’
“It never felt like they had a plan for him at all. You have to remember that Bayern is pretty chaotic at this time.
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“At this point they are still considering whether they want their central midfield [Joshua] Kimmich and [Leon] Goretzka, which are very, very difficult to get past. There is no doubt about that. And they had doubts about it and thought they needed a more dedicated six.
“Kimmich is suitable for a somewhat freer role due to his tendency to play full-back, even if he doesn’t like playing right-back. And he has attacking qualities that you want to make the most of.”
“That kind of leads them into this long-term search for Joao Palhinha, who doesn’t really work out but who is the player they want and who they get in the end.
“Now, at Gravenberch, because they see him as an opportunity and not a planned signing, he is an afterthought.
“I don’t think they really put much into his development. But we talked before about Hugo Ekitike and how much he learned from an unfavorable situation at PSG – it’s the same with Gravenberch at Bayern.”
“He goes there and quickly realizes that it’s going to be hard for me to get a game. There’s not really a role here. And he’s still very young.”
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“He’s still developing as a player. At this point it looks like Gravenberch will be more of an attacking midfielder.
“Given the fact that Bayern also play a lot with wingers, I think there are doubts as to whether he fits into this system.
“Look at the fact that, as I said, the big two are still in charge and it’s quite difficult to classify him,
“I think especially when he came from a position where he wasn’t one of Ajax’s very best players. He’s a good player, but certainly a player where it felt like Bayern was a surprise. It felt like it was a bit of a leap for him. And that’s how it proved in the end.”
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| Ryan Gravenberch’s statistics at FC Bayern Munich | Ryan Gravenberch’s statistics at FC Bayern Munich |
| Games: 34 | Games: 95 |
| Goals: 1 | Goals: 6 |
| Assists: 1 | Assists: 8 |
| Minutes played: 947 | Minutes played: 6,738 |
| Trophies won: 2 | Trophies won: 2 |
How much did Liverpool pay for Gravenberch?
He was rescued from Liverpool for £34m on deadline day 2023 but only played a full 90 minutes under Jurgen Klopp.
Slot’s subsequent failure to sign current Arsenal star Martin Zubimendi led to him turning to Gravenberch to play the role and the rest is history.
Gravenberch’s success as a defensive midfielder has reportedly sparked a wave of “regret” at his old club, Bayern Munich.
But Brassell argued that the Bundesliga champions still got a lot and deserved credit for their part in their development.
“The way he was able to adapt at Liverpool shows, firstly, that Bayern did a good job with him, even if it wasn’t enough to get them into their first team,” he told The Pitch Prospect.
“It has developed him in a way. He is a much better player than he was at Ajax when he came to Liverpool, simply because he played a few games and trained with Bayern the whole time.”
“Of course, their coaching staff has tremendous experience, no matter what era they are in. There are experienced players you can learn from.
“You think of Kimmich himself, Goretzka, Thomas Müller, so many other players you can learn from.
“Really, Bayern are making a really good deal out of it because they are selling Gravenberch for two and a half times what they bought him for.
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“So really, they got a good deal out of signing a player, not entirely on a whim, but really not as part of a long-term project. Rather, let’s buy this guy and see if we can mold him into something.”
“It turns out he finds it quite difficult to fit into the team and they find it quite difficult to integrate him into the team.
“Then turn him into two and a half times what you spent on him when you found out he wasn’t what you were looking for.
“That feels pretty good to me.”