Ryan Gravenbirch got the nod in the final goal as Liverpool cruised into the FA Cup fifth round with five goals against Championship side Norwich at Anfield. Jurgen Klopp says he is happy with his summer job after waiting out the deadline to complete Liverpool’s midfield rebuild.
Dominique Soboslay and Alexis McAllister were easily signed, Wataru Endo now looks like the perfect replacement for the departing Fabinho, and the late Ryan Gravenbirch was signed for $43m (£34m/€40m).
The Dutchman caught the eye of many clubs with his performances for Ajax and was even compared to legendary midfielder Clarence Seedorf before his move to Bayern Munich.
He failed to become a regular in Germany but Klopp believed Liverpool had signed a “special talent” when he arrived at Anfield. At just 21, the midfielder showed his scoring ability against Union Saint-Gilloise and Toulouse in the Europa League.
Klopp insisted there was still work to do after the 5-1 defeat by the French last October, but his performances since then have often divided Anfield fans. His ability and pace make him an outstanding player in Liverpool’s midfield, but there are suggestions that he is not enough to make an impact at both ends of the pitch.
He also started very slowly in the FA Cup against Norwich, but Gravenburch’s performance during the game showed that he is getting used to the demands of life as a Liverpool player.
The Netherlands international played as a young midfielder alongside James McConnell (19) and Curtis Jones (22) and was heavily involved in most of Liverpool’s attacking plays. He was able to play 90 minutes at Anfield for the first time in his career.
He made the most of it, converting Connor Bradley’s close-range shot into a header just before extra time. Ironically, it was his first goal since scoring against Toulouse three months ago.
Gravenburch managed to score a hat-trick thanks to excellent goalkeeping and plays a good role in Klopp 2.0’s midfield. Former Bayern man Jones, who scored for Szobozlei and Norwich, is three players ahead of the midfielder in goals and assists for Liverpool last season.
It was a decent return for a debut season and there were signs of improvement even against Norwich. He was successful in all but one of his 11 games against Championship sides, winning seven of them.
Those numbers will further convince the doubters, but there is no doubt that Klopp will see more from him. If your manager doesn’t believe in you, you can’t play against Everton and Manchester United.
However, the game against Norwich will be a springboard for the second half of the season. Every member of Klopp’s squad will have a role to play if this season is to end in a final fit for the German manager.
Unless something surprising happens at the end of January, Gravenburch will go down in Liverpool history as Klopp’s latest signing. Now the midfielder will be assured that his Anfield legacy will not be remembered for that purpose alone.
