With Liverpool missing out on their priority target in the No. 6 role this summer in Martin Zubimendi, the onus falls on Ryan Gravenberch as Arne Slot’s in-house solution.
By Jack Lusby, ThisIsAnfield.com
After trips to San Sebastián and verbal assurances from the player himself, Liverpool thought they had finally landed on their solution to a long-standing problem position.
Having been spurned by Aurélien Tchouaméni, Moises Caicedo and Roméo Lavia in recent years, Martin Zubimendi was lined up as a much-needed successor to Fabinho in the No. 6 role. Owners Fenway Sports Group were prepared to activate the midfielder’s €60 million release clause with plenty of leeway when it comes to the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.
But Zubimendi, who has played for Real Sociedad since he was 12 years old having been picked up from youth side Antiguoko in his hometown of San Sebastián, had a change of heart and informed Liverpool’s sporting director, Richard Hughes, that he could no longer make the transfer.
That has left Liverpool in a bind, with sections of their support furious with subsequent reports that they will not pursue an alternative before the summer transfer window closes at 11pm on August 30, Arne Slot instead relying on the options already at his disposal.
This comes after a pre-season that saw the new head coach experiment with a number of players in the No. 6 role – a role which, unlike in Jürgen Klopp’s strict 4-3-3, is less defensive midfielder and more deep-lying ball-player, working alongside a more adventurous No. 8 in a fluid 4-2-3-1.
Wataru Endo started the opening friendly of Liverpool’s tour of the United States but it quickly became apparent that the 31-year-old did not meet the specification, substituted at half-time in the 1-0 win over Real Betis to be replaced by youngster Tyler Morton. Curtis Jones had been called upon in an earlier behind-closed-doors defeat to Preston at the AXA Training Centre, while Slot then turned to Dominik Szoboszlai as his No. 6 in the 2-1 win over Arsenal in Philadelphia.
Stefan Bajčetić and 17-year-old Trey Nyoni also had stints as the deepest midfielder, but the most telling decision was in starting Ryan Gravenberch in back-to-back friendlies against Manchester United in South Carolina and Sevilla back at Anfield.
That 4-1 victory over Sevilla was the primer for Liverpool’s campaign opener at Ipswich, with Slot fielding what many believe to be his starting lineup for the trip to Portman Road in his first competitive game in charge.
In the absence of a new signing in the area he has highlighted to the club’s hierarchy as Liverpool’s transfer priority, the Dutchman fielded his compatriot, Gravenberch, as No. 6 with Alexis Mac Allister alongside him in a midfield pivot and Szoboszlai advanced as a No. 10.
Having urged his players to “kill them with passes” during training sessions throughout the summer, it has become clear the profile of midfielder Slot wants in this nominally deeper role.
“I sometimes like it when players try to keep the ball and not play the difficult ball, where Jürgen or the former regime maybe liked the chaotic scenes in and around the [box] a lot as well,” the head coach told French broadcaster Canal+ ahead of the trip to Ipswich.
Whereas Jürgen Klopp wanted his No. 6 to win the ball and quickly play the ball forwards – praising Endo after a 5-1 thrashing of Toulouse in October for “how often he broke lines with one touch” and “the forward passes he played” – Slot prefers a calm, composed approach with his midfield the focus.
Jones himself made that clear in a press conference while in the States, telling reporters: “I feel like now the centre-mid is going to be more like the heart of the team.”
“I feel more in the past a bit it was like a rush, we get the ball back and it was a little bit too direct, I would say, and it was up and down, up and down,” the 23-year-old elaborated. “Now he wants us to have all the ball and completely kill teams.”
Slot’s No. 6 is required to take the ball from the centre-backs on the turn, stay composed in tight areas and contribute heavily to a steady buildup phase before Liverpool can pick the lock and spring attacks through the opposition’s defence. It was seen countless times throughout pre-season with an ‘up, back and through’ pattern of possession, with Slot’s tactical cues as much Pep Guardiola as they are Jürgen Klopp.
That is why Liverpool identified Zubimendi as their ideal candidate in the transfer market; a player who replaced Manchester City’s Rodri at half-time in the final of this summer’s Euros and produced an influential display on the way to victory over England. Zubimendi is stylistically similar to Rodri, which stands to reason as to why he would be viewed as perfect for Slot’s system.
But having seen a move fail, the onus falls on Gravenberch as the next best option. Tall and nimble, schooled in the Ajax academy, the 22-year-old was earmarked as a No. 8 in Klopp’s 4-3-3 but showed in those brief glimpses in pre-season that he could play with the discipline and composure needed as a No. 6 in Slot’s 4-2-3-1.
It is a big ask, though, to translate the effective performances seen against Manchester United and Sevilla in warmup friendlies to the biggest challenges to come at the top end of the Premier League and Champions League. Clearly Slot and Liverpool’s recruitment team felt the same, but bar a surprise development before the transfer window closes, they will forge on with the players already at his disposal.
Gravenberch will be viewed as the next best thing, perhaps more raw in his ability than Zubimendi but with the basic skills required to operate in such a pivotal role.
After a season lost at Bayern Munich and a slow adjustment in his first campaign at Liverpool, the Netherlands international is poised for a big chance under new management at Anfield. All involved will be hoping he can finally realise the vast potential he has shown ever since his breakthrough at Ajax all the way back in 2018.
(Images from IMAGO)
To keep up to date with everything Liverpool, make sure you click follow on the team profile in the FotMob app. Download the free app here.