Arne Slot has been reaping the benefits of Liverpool’s failure to sign one of their top summer targets. The Reds have made a flying start under the guidance of their new Dutch manager, who has been getting the very best out of the players at his disposal.
Liverpool had a relatively quiet summer window, with Federico Chiesa the only player they signed to improve the first-team squad. They also landed Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, but he will not join the Merseyside giants until the end of the season.
Those in power at Anfield were hoping to make at least one other signing but were unable to get a deal over the line. Liverpool tried to recruit Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad but he reportedly turned down their advances and decided to stay in Spain.
At the time, it looked like a crushing blow for the Reds who were said to be intent on signing a new deep-lying midfielder. However, the emergence of Ryan Gravenberch as one of their leading lights has shown that Zubimendi was never needed in the first place.
The former Bayern Munich playmaker has reached new heights after initially struggling to impose himself under Jurgen Klopp. He has played more minutes than any of his Liverpool team-mates this season, with the exception of Virgil van Dijk.
Gravenberch has been the glue holding the Reds together, with his impressive range of passing and clever defensive work helping them to surpass Arsenal as the team most likely to challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title.
It is unlikely that he would have been given as many minutes had Zubimendi joined Liverpool in the summer, with their failure to get him allowing Gravenberch to stand up and be counted.
His impressive rise over the last few months has delighted his Liverpool team-mate Cody Gakpo, who always had faith in the ability of his fellow Dutchman.
“Everybody in Holland knew how good he could be when he was playing,” said Gakpo while on international duty with the Netherlands.
“I think maybe the manager also knew this. At the beginning of the season he put him in a slightly different position but he gave him the confidence to play there.
“Ryan showed his quality at that position, grabbed his chance as well and turned out to be a good match. He is playing outstandingly for us this season.”
