Liverpool maestro named ‘revelation of the season’ and tipped for super-stardom with Slot ‘masterclass’ hailed

Arne Slot has been credited with transforming the fortunes of Ryan Gravenberch with the Liverpool midfielder hailed as the revelation of the season and now tipped to become an undroppable fixture in the Netherlands side.

The 22-year-old midfielder moved to Anfield in summer 2023, with the Reds paying Bayern Munich a fee of €40m (£34.2m, $44m) to sign the former Ajax man on a five-year deal. But while he made 38 appearances in his debut season at Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp, there was a sense that the Reds did not know Gravenberch’s best position and that they had only inherited a player who looked unable to fulfil his early career promise.

However, since his appointment at Anfield, Slot has taken Gravenberch under his wing and given him a prominent place in his side. And while seen as the main beneficiary from the Reds’ failure to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, the Dutchman has proved one of Liverpool’s best and most consistent performers this season.

Now Ruud Gullit is backing Gravenberch to transform himself into the Netherlands’ most important player over the next few years, hailing Slot for a coaching ‘masterclass’.

“For Slot, it is not a disadvantage at Liverpool that three Dutch players play an important role in the selection of the first team,” Gullit told De Telegraaf.

“With captain Virgil van Dijk in the lead. After a difficult period and criticism in the Netherlands and England, he has recovered well. Ryan Gravenberch is the revelation of the season. He fulfils his promise as a top talent from the Ajax academy.

“Bayern Munich, just like striker Joshua Zirkzee, came too fast and set too high a goal. After an adjustment period in Liverpool, Gravenberch’s qualities are coming into their own under Slot. He can become the most important man for the Dutch national team.

“Cody Gakpo is often decisive for the Dutch team with his goals. At Liverpool you see him getting better and more decisive every week. In the beginning, it was up and down, then starting again, then reserve again, but increasingly Slot positions his team in such a way that he can make a starting place for Gakpo.

“I’m wondering where Arne Slot’s masterclass ends. In any case, Slot is busy paving the way for Dutch coaches abroad.”

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What has Slot said on Gravenberch?

While Gravenberch has managed just one assist so far this season, the midfielder has thrived in the deeper holding midfield opportunity presented to him by Slot.

Slot believes Gravenberch’s transformation is there for all to see and insists the player himself compares more to Declan Rice than a more traditional No.6 or defensive midfielder.

“He is very comfortable with the ball, and I think that’s what everybody saw, but not every manager,” Slot told Sky Sports earlier this season. “So, it’s a bit of a choice. You can bring a No.6 in that’s only really good without the ball – hard tackles and sliding – which every fan loves, and a lot of pundits love as well.

“Or you look more at what can he bring for us if we have the ball, and I think he can help us a lot with the ball. And he has a good tackle, but he’s not a… Where would you compare him? He’s not an N’Golo Kante, he’s a Declan Rice, whatever you want to come up with. But he is a very good runner, so he has long legs, he can keep on running, closing down lines. Is that the way to say it?

“So, he is not the typical No.6 that is making sliding tackles of three or four or five meters, which a lot of fans also like to see. But if you play in a possession-based team, which he does, it’s a lot about keeping the ball, making the right decisions if you have the ball, and bringing the ball from the last line towards the forwards. It’s just a bit of how you look at a player.

“But in the end, he also surprised me, not how comfortable he is with the ball, but also how trustable he is without the ball. And I think that is something he picked up really fast, or which was maybe already inside of him, but people and me never saw before.”

Gravenberch himself admits Slot’s hands-on approach has benefited his game and he fondly recalls a conversation he had with the new manager soon after his appointment at Anfield.

“After the Euros, he called me and said he wanted to give me a chance – then he said, ‘I want you to focus on the No. 8 but I also want to see you in the No. 6’,” Gravenberch recalled. “My reaction was really good… it doesn’t really matter where you play as long as you play.”

Latest Liverpool news: Huge offer submitted to Van Dijk; Salah one step closer

Such has been Gravenberch’s form this season, there has been speculation of interest now in his services from Real Madrid.

Liverpool, meanwhile, hope to soon be in a position to announce they have reached an agreement with Virgil van Dijk over a new deal at Anfield.

The skipper falls out of contract at the end of the current campaign and will be eligible to speak to interested overseas suitors from January 1.

However, David Ornstein has revealed the Reds have now made their opening contract offer to retain Van Dijk’s services – and optimism is growing that a new deal can soon be agreed.

Elsewhere, TEAMtalk reporter Rudy Galetti has delivered significant news on the future of Mo Salah with the star now a step closer to signing his new deal at Anfield and with one major personal goal driving him ever closer to an agreement.

And finally, with our sources revealing a move for Milos Kerkez is set to be launched in the January window, we have taken a look at eight left-back options the Reds could target as long-term heirs for Andy Robertson.

Can you master this quiz on Liverpool’s transfer business?