Ryan Gravenberch (CM) From Bayern Munich

There have been times this season where Bayern have had so many attacking players on the pitch to make up for a lack of replacement for Lewondowski they’ve ended up with only 1 CM. It’s been a transitional season where they’ve seemingly struggled to develop a clear vision for what they were supposed to be doing, and you can understand why that might have been not a great situation for a young CM to find himself in.

So, on the one hand some mitigation for his lack of success there. But on the other we’re not exactly a great situation for a young player to walk into either.

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Where has the confidence that he can play as a 6 here come from?

Playing in a double pivot a few times in the Eredivisie is one thing, having the game intelligence to play as a ‘6’ on your own in a league as quick as the PL is different.

If he’s the solution to the Fabinho problem, then that is a massive gamble.

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Has anyone actually said that? Or are they just stating what has been reported in the Times that at Ajax he has previously played as a 6, 8 and 10?

I may be wrong, but I don’t think many (if any?) are suggesting he comes in as the first choice 6 to replace Fabinho.

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Lots of references to him being versatile. Based on what?

Any player can play in any position, doesn’t mean they should. What has he done in his career to suggest he’s a good option as a 6?

Genuinely asking, because I don’t see it.

Because as Dutch says, the scouting report on him is that he is a well rounded player who isn’t easily pigeon holed. It’s not the role he made his name in, but he has played it and it’s reasonable to look at what he’s good at and think about the ways he might be able to fit into a side that plays the way we do. Very few players will already be doing an exact replica of the role they’d play here so with every player there is a degree of thinking about how they’d fit.

I dont see much in the discussion indicating that anyone thinks he is being earmarked as a straight replacement for Fab though, at least not initially.

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Again, I don’t think anyone suggesting he comes in to play as the 6 on a regular basis.

When linked to a player, all you can do is look at what he has done in the past, which for the record is this:

That suggests, that he is perhaps versatile in comparison to, for example Caicedo:

Caicedo is the kind of player people are suggesting could come in as a 6, Gravenberch is someone who would more likely come in as the left sided 8, but could potentially play the 6 in a specific situation, based on the fact he has played as a defensive midfielder before and most reports on him suggest he was considered versatile at Ajax

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More often that not this type of stuff gets said about players who aren’t good enough in any one role rather than those who excel in multiple ones.

Mount is the same for me - he ‘can’ play in midfield or the forward line, but is he truly excellent in either?

@deneb

Caicedo isn’t a number 6 either, he’d be a number 8.

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That’s entirely beside the point.

Yes totally fair. It’s the fklip side of the Richie Partridge syndrome - jst because you think the team needs width doesnt mean a player whose best position is out wide is the right option if the player is just not good enough.

But this is just a repeat of the conversation the other week. The answer is the same as it was then. You seemingly dont like the answer, which is fine, but you have had the question answered.

EDIT: That comes across as more dickish than I intended :see_no_evil:

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He had one year left on his contract that’s why the fee was so low.

Now with the length of the contract at Bayern I doubt he might come as cheap again.

Forgot to mention that he is a client of Team Raiola.

When has he played that role before? I’ve had a quick look, can’t find evidence of it.

Haven’t you been talking about playing Trent in midfield more? Is that because he’s not good enough at RB?

Gini played a bunch of different roles. Came here and played the one we needed him to. At 20 years old it’s not exactly far fetched to think he’s not nailed down the type of midfielder he might be. Across his career Gerrard played three different centre midfield roles, out wide and filled in at right back.

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I’m not against players switching positions or whatever, if it makes sense.

There’s nothing I can see so far that suggests Gravenberch is capable of being a good 6 here.

Maybe Mason Mount will have a go there, Gini did, so why not?

Edited my original post to appease your pedantry. Either way, it doesn’t diminish my actual point that the general consensus isn’t that he’d be coming in to solve the Fabinho issue.

It isn’t pedantry, playing in a double pivot is different to playing on your own. It isn’t just a matter of semantics.

Thiago was superb in a double pivot too, but I don’t see many wanting him to play as the ‘6’.

I think many would be quite happy with Thiago as a deep lying playmaker, as long as the rest of the team was set up to take advantage of that.

FWIW, people are giving your arguments far more grace than you are returning.

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What have you looked at? Because at the moment your replies just come off as disparaging of others whilst not really offering any rationale other than “that isn’t where they’ve played most often so far in their careers”.

I don’t think anyone is suggesting he’s our new 6 from day one. The fact he’s played there in the past at least indicates it’s not entirely alien for him.

Same with Mount and playing as an 8. He has played there and not just as emergency cover, but starting games at the highest level of football.

All that matters is whether the recruitment guys think they can do what Klopp wants from them. Plenty examples of Klopp changing players roles to great success. A young lad like Gravenberch could well be someone he sees potential in to offer cover at 6 at a pinch or someone who could be moulded into that being his primary role.

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At the end of the day a traffic cone is probably an upgrade on Fabinho at no.6!

When has he played there in the past?