England’s LIVERPOOL (AP) — On Friday, the final day of the summer transfer season, Liverpool completed the revamp of its midfield by signing Netherlands international Ryan Gravenberch, Dutch footballer from Bayern Munich in a deal worth 40 million euros ($43.1 million).
This summer, Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Naby Keita, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have all gone for other teams, while Gravenberch has joined Liverpool along with fellow midfielders Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Wataru Endo.
Just one year after switching from Ajax to Bayern, the 21-year-old Gravenberch has agreed to a five-year contract.
Gravenberch didn’t fit within the system, thus Thomas Tuchel, the coach of Bayern, was happy to let him leave.
Tuchel described the youngster as an aggressive midfielder who can play box-to-box on Friday, before the deal was confirmed. The primary issue for him is that our 4-2-3-1 style doesn’t really have a No. 8 position. We have a ton of options up front with players who have a lot of experience.
“Ryan is a really pleasant, dedicated, hard-working player. He didn’t like the way things were going. He sees the opportunity to compete for a spot at No. 8 in a 4-3-3 with Liverpool. He had long desired to travel.
At age 16, Gravenberch made his debut as the academy’s youngest player ever. He graduated from Ajax. In 11 games for the Dutch, he has appeared.
Gravenberch said, “Very happy that the deal is done and I’m finally here.” “If you see it from the outside, it’s one of the biggest clubs in the world.
