Liverpool's new £87m Ryan Gravenberch problem is a true nightmare scenario

Liverpool have run into an £87m problem that is a nightmare scenario. What do they do from here?

Liverpool have a problem with Ryan Gravenberch. The Dutchman has just signed a new contract and one that was well-deserved - after all, he played a gigantic role in the Premier League title win last season.

However, there is a problem here. That contract - worth a reported £87m over the course of it - was based almost entirely on what Gravenberch did last season and he hasn't been able to replicate that form this time around.

Liverpool as a whole, of course, haven't found the magic that won the title in 2025 but Gravenberch's drop-off is a big part of why. They simply don't know how best to use him.

Teams have pretty much figured out the best way to play Liverpool, allowing lots of possession deep and forcing the Reds' centre-backs to pick the holes through a low block. It's something the Reds have really struggled with over the course of the season.

Now, that significantly hurts how Gravenberch plays. He's not someone who looks to get heavily involved in breaking teams down and he's not a possession-heavy player who takes the pressure off the centre-backs.

Saturday's win over Fulham offered a very easy demonstration of this. Gravenberch didn't start the match but came on at half-time for Curtis Jones, meaning the two of them each played 45 minutes in the same role.

Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones

So how did it go? Well, Liverpool boasted 60 per cent of the ball in that first 45, completing 284 passes to Fulham's 166. They 128 of the Reds' passes came in their own half but the majority were in Fulham's - 156. That translated to 30 touches in the opposition box and 10 shots at goal, with the visitors managing just 11 such touches at five shots.

Now the second half. Liverpool's possession dropped to just 44 per cent and their passes dropped by 121 to just 163. Fulham's passes, in contrast, jumped to 205. The Reds were also pinned back, with the majority of their second-half passes (89) coming in their own half this time. Fulham were able to use that to strangle the game, limiting the hosts to just 17 touches in their box while commanding 31 in Liverpool's.

Is Gravenberch to blame for the absolutely gigantic swing here? Not really. But his style of play is a massive reason why - it just isn't blending with either Liverpool's gameplan or how teams are playing against them.

One comparison shows that above all: Jones completed 37 of 38 passes in that first half, Gravenberch completed 12 of 12 in the second. In the same role, Liverpool's playmaker dropped to twenty-five fewer passes and that cost them control of the match.

And this isn't a one-off, either. Gravenberch was below his average here but he typically manages around 51 passes across 90 minutes. Jones, in contrast, averages around 70, putting him in the 96th percentile for Premier League midfielders.

Liverpool lack a lot of control with Gravenberch as their 'main' midfielder. Though, we shouldn't entirely leave that at his door - Alexis Mac Allister actually averages even fewer passes, with just 41 per 90.

But unlike Mac Allister, Liverpool just offered a gigantic new contract to Gravenberch despite the fact they're struggling to find an effective way of using him.

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