The Premier League's pull factor swells each year, with England's top flight consistently outspending its rival European divisions and exerting dominance in the continent's elite club competition – with Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City winning three of the past six editions.
Combined, English clubs have far outstripped the remainder of Europe's top-five leagues in regard to expenditure over the past three campaigns, equating to at least 40% of the continent's spending on each occasion.
Financial superiority seems to hold a healthy degree of sway. This is personified over on Merseyside by Sepp van den Berg's expected decision to sign for Brentford over Bayer Leverkusen, with both clubs willing to meet Liverpool's demand of £20m plus £5m in bonuses for the Dutch centre-back's sale.
Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal undefeated last season, with defeat in the Europa League final against Atalanta their only blemish, and given that their fielding interest in three of their centre-backs, Van den Berg would be a wonderful addition.
Matches (starts)
33 (31)
Goals
3
Clean sheets
8
Touches*
57.8
Pass completion
81%
Ball recoveries*
5.3
Tackles*
1.2
Interceptions*
1.3
Clearances*
4.7
Total duels won*
7.0 (65%)
Liverpool bosses know that selling the 22-year-old is the right thing despite his clear talent, for he will not receive the playing time he wishes for at Anfield, behind Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Jarell Quansah in the pecking order – with a defensive signing rumoured to be on the cards before the month's up.
Arne Slot's arrival at the helm this summer has deepened a strong Dutch undercurrent to the Reds' senior squad, but Van den Berg will not form a part of it as he moves away to kickstart his promising career.
Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo are among the brightest of Liverpool's stars, but Ryan Gravenberch is also starting to prove that he can be an invaluable centrepiece.
Why Liverpool signed Ryan Gravenberch
Last summer, Liverpool finished a busy summer of spending by signing Gravenberch in a £34m move, ending his dreary spell with Bayern Munich.
The multi-talented midfielder had emerged as one of Europe's brightest talents with Ajax but failed to impress in Germany, limited to just three Bundesliga starts throughout the 2022/23 campaign – with two of those starting berths arriving in May.
Gravenberch was plucked by Klopp last summer after a shrewd deal had been conducted for Wataru Endo, solving (temporarily) the quandary at the base of the midfield. The Dutchman's more dynamic and fluid style suggested that he could house himself across any number of roles in the engine room.
It didn't look like it last year but Gravenberch might find himself operating in the deep-lying role this season after Liverpool failed to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, indeed placed at No. 6 during his side's win over Ipswich Town last weekend and in line for another shot at the position when the Bees are welcomed to Anfield.
Minutes played
90'
Touches
71
Pass completion
51/59 (86%)
Long balls
2/2
Dribble attempts
1/2
Ball recoveries
2
Tackles
3
Duels won
6/12
He was cultured in possession and combative off the ball, with the notion of a prosperous career as Liverpool's anchorman taking root, having also been awarded an 8/10 match rating by the Liverpool Echo's Ian Doyle.
It's early days but Gravenberch took a big stride in his development last week; now he must sustain it. He only started 12 times in the Premier League under Klopp's wing and ebbed and flowed from form.
Could he now be shaping into one of Liverpool's most important and profitable players?
Gravenberch's Liverpool future
Gravenberch's performance at the base of the centre says much about his talent as a multi-functioning type of player, having typically enjoyed the more expansive stretches of the forward end of the field.
A sweeping range of passing allows the 6 foot 3 star to dictate from deep, and he might just be exactly what Slot is looking for – a fact that could see his market value rise and then some over the coming months.
He's got the progressive technical acumen and intense approach to his play that could see him continue to go from strength to strength over the coming years, ranking among the top 10% central midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 19% for progressive passes and the top 6% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref.
His countryman, Van den Berg, might have potential but Gravenberch wears the trappings of an elite-level player, lacking composure and conditioning somewhat but well placed to proceed to the next level.
Football Transfers' player valuation model currently records the "Rolls-Royce" – as he has been called by journalist Declan Carr – to have actually dropped in value marginally since signing one year ago, with the Netherlands international priced at €38m (roughly £32m), but this is due to his aforementioned struggles last term.
The fact it still places him above Van den Berg makes a telling comment on his projected rise over the coming years, with his display at Portman Road demonstrating instant improvements under his new boss.
Indeed, Gravenberch was branded a "passenger out of possession" during Liverpool's Premier League loss against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium last season, though he has atoned for this deficiency by proving his free-moving athleticism last weekend.
Therefore, Gravenberch's slight market depreciation makes sense when considering his middling maiden year on Merseyside, enjoying flashes of brilliance but failing to produce the type of complete displays regularly that would have earned him a more prominent role under Klopp.
However, all things considered, he's one of the most exciting young midfielders in Europe with a lofty ceiling indeed. Arne Slot might just have hit the jackpot with this one, already tuned to the possibility of Gravenberch adopting a deeper-placed role in midfield and perhaps solving his biggest problem.
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