"Don't think he's necessarily this defensive midfield player that I think Liverpool still need" - Jamie Carragher on Ryan Gravenberch
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher is not convinced that Bayern Munich's Ryan Gravenberch is the midfield profile the team need at the moment.
With the transfer window closing in a few hours, the Reds are on the cusp of snapping up the 21-year-old Dutch midfielder. Gravenberch has had his medical at Anfield and is expected to arrive at the club despite Bayern failing to sign Fulham's Joao Palhinha as a replacement.
Meanwhile, the Reds have had a mass exodus from midfield, with the likes of Jordan Henderson Fabinho and James Milner leaving. They have brought in reinforcements, signing Alexis Mac Alister, Dominic Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo.
Carragher told Sky Sports (via ECHO) that Gravenberch is not the defensive midfielder the Reds necessarily need.
"It's interesting where he is going to fit in because I don't think he's necessarily this defensive midfield player that I think Liverpool still need, even though they have brought a player in from Germany.”
Carragher, though, reckons Klopp could mould Gravenberch into the type of player that fits his system:
"I think he's more of a No 8. He's box-to-box. He gets forward - and I think that's why Bayern got rid of him, because Thomas Tuchel didn't want to play him in that position."
He continued:
"He's a player Jurgen Klopp and the club wanted 12-18 months ago, and I'm interested to see where he fits in and if Klopp thinks he's going to be that defensive midfield player.
The former player concluded that at the price he has been signed for, Gravenberch is a steal.
"He's young, has good pedigree - having played for Ajax and Bayern - and, to be fair, the fee is not that expensive."
How has Liverpool new signing Ryan Gravenberch fared for Bayern Munich?
The Reds have snapped up Ryan Gravenberch in the closing hours of the summer transfer window. The Premier League giants have announced the Dutchman's arrival on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Since arriving from Ajax last summer, Gravenberch has bagged a goal and an assist in 34 games across competitions for Bayern but started only six. His lone appearance this season for Thomas Tuchel's team was a nine-minute cameo in the 3-1 Bundesliga home win over FC Augsburg.
The 21-year-old becomes Jurgen Klopp and Co.'s fourth midfield signing of the summer, joining Mac Alister, Szoboszlai and Endo. Whether he makes his Liverpool debut on Sunday (September 3) remains to be seen, though.