Liverpool struck gold last summer when Ryan Gravenberch was transformed into a number six. After missing out on Martin Zubimendi, who chose not to leave Real Sociedad, Arne Slot repurposed what he already had.
Ideally, though, Liverpool would be able to find an alternative to Gravenberch to take the pressure off the Dutchman. He has played more often than ever before this season — and almost more than anyone else in the Reds’ roster — and there is a possibility that he could be fatigued or injured in the coming months.
Crystal Palace starlet Adam Wharton is one player who might be deemed the dream addition for Slot’s side. But he would cost a huge amount, which makes him an unlikely target to primarily arrive as a back-up option.
According to the Daily Mail, Liverpool is monitoring the progress of Wharton, who has been impressive again for the South London outfit this season. Oliver Glasner has continued to get more from the 21-year-old, who is now an England international.
The report claims that as well as Liverpool, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona are also huge admirers of Wharton, who would supposedly cost around $80 million (£60 million). And why wouldn’t they be keeping a keen eye, given his level of talent?
Wharton is exceptional in possession and would come with the extra advantage of being left-footed, which can bring additional balance to a team. As an alternative to Gravenberch, Wharton would be brilliant.
(Image: Getty Images)
“I knew [Slot] because I played against him when he was at Feyenoord,” Gravenberch said in February on a video made by the Liverpool FC YouTube channel. “The first conversation was on the phone.
“He called me and asked me how I was, how I was feeling and everything. He told me how he saw me in the team — which positions and everything, as a six and as an eight.
“Before I came here, they were also the positions I liked to play. More as an eight than six, but this season he put me at six and I’ve done really well.”
Gravenberch signed for Liverpool for a fee of around $45 million (£34 million) from Bayern Munich in 2023. He arrived after the Reds missed out on buying Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, who chose to move to Chelsea.
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While he has been exceptional this season, Slot now wants him to get even better. “There are only a few players in the world that can be a nine or a 10 every single three days,” he said during his press conference in February.
“If you look at his age, he might, might, might eventually belong to those group of players — those two or three or four that can do this. But he’s not there yet, which is completely normal.
“It depends also on the playing style of the opponent, which we just said. If you play Everton or Wolves, that is a completely different game than when you play Aston Villa. I liked him yesterday much more than I liked him against Everton, for example.”
Liverpool.com says: Gravenberch has been a revelation but signing another player in that position would be the perfect scenario. Wataru Endo is a completely different type of midfielder, but spending $80M on a back-up to Gravenberch seems unlikely.
