Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool have signed Ryan Gravenberch
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp could not contain his delight after welcoming Ryan Gravenberch to the club – with the Reds boss explaining exactly how he plans to use the Dutchman and the club also confirming another last-gasp piece of business with Hull City had beaten the transfer deadline.
The Reds concluded their summer arrivals with the capture of Gravenberch from Bayern Munich in a deal worth £34.2m (€40m); the Dutchman penning a five-year deal on Anfield and being kitted out with the number 38 shirt. Gravenberch’s first interview as a Liverpool player is an emotive one with the star making clear his love of the club’s You’ll Never Walk Alone anthem.
The former Ajax star has been on Klopp’s radar for some time and complete the German’s midfield rebuild. With six players, including Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, Liverpool have been able to bring in four new players of their own for the engine room.
And while Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai were signed early, and Waturu Endo’s arrival straightforward, Liverpool have had to be more patient to push through the signing of Gravenberch.
His exit comes after Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel finally accepted the Dutchman’s pleas to leave the Allianz Arena, where he had slipped to fourth choice at best.
Now a fresh start beckons and Klopp cannot wait to get working with his new “exceptional talent”.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Klopp commented: “[I’m] really happy to bring him in because he’s an exceptional talent…
“How Thomas Tuchel said today in the press conference in Munich I think, the position he is best at, they don’t really have in their system. We have that – that’s good.”
Liverpool revels in Ryan Gravenberch transfer
Tuchel had said: “He’s a box-to-box midfielder for me, an attacking player.
“He sees the chance in Liverpool to fight for a place at No. 8 in a 4-3-3.”
Addressing how he can use the player, Klopp hinted at a possible rotation policy in his midfield this season.
“We have a lot of games to play. We will see how long he needs now because I don’t know, we need to have a look at that,” he added.
“He had a full pre-season, that’s good. The medical was as clear as it can be pretty much, looks really fit.”
Gravenberch also has a history of playing in a defensive midfield role for Ajax, which is a position Liverpool could also use him in if needed.
Klopp continued: “Ryan knows he has to improve things but that’s at 21, it would be crazy if not.
“But, he is super-talented, he can drive the ball, he can be really a box-to-box threat, he is going there. He has a good eye for a pass and a good pass. Really excited. It fits into our squad.”
Tyler Morton departs for Hull
On life in the Premier League, the German said of his latest buy: “The Premier League is a different league and we will see how long it takes but it is obviously a long-term project, but he can help us in the short term as well.
“He is 21, played over 100 games for Ajax already. Had a, I wouldn’t even say difficult season at Bayern because in that age group it’s completely normal; you go into a world-class team and he had his minutes and stuff like this.”
Liverpool, meanwhile, have confirmed the departure of Tyler Morton to Hull City on a season-long loan deal. The move went down to the wire, but ultimately snuck in just before the deadline passed.
Morton spent the 2022/23 season on loan with Blackburn, where he enjoyed an impressive season before his season was ended by injury in April.
Now the 20-year-old midfielder will spent this season with the Tigers, who are currently eighth in the Championship before the weekend’s round of fixtures.
The transfer does not contain any option to make permanent with Liverpool still seeing Morton as having a big future at Anfield.
However, as he is some way down the pecking order, the move will be used to further his experience with Liverpool keeping a close eye on his development.
Morton has made nine first-team appearances for Liverpool, including starts against FC Porto and AC Milan in the Champions League.
