01 September 2023 , 18:42
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Jamie Carragher concedes he isn't sure Ryan Gravenberch is the midfielder Liverpool "needed" as he prepares to complete a deadline day move.
The Reds have chased the Bayern Munich man for much of the summer and look like they will get him for around £35m. Gravenberch has only been in Germany a year following his switch from Ajax but found minutes hard to come by and he was looking for the exit door.
Liverpool have overseen a huge midfield overhaul with a host of stalwarts all leaving Anfield. Their shortcomings were exposed in the early games of the season with Wataru Endo recently coming in as a midfield anchor and Carragher isn't convinced Gravenberch was the type of player they required.
He told Sky Sports: "It's interesting where he is going to fit in because I don't think he's necessarily this defensive midfield player that I think Liverpool still need, even though they have brought a player in from Germany. I think he's more of a No 8, he's box-to-box, he gets forward - and I think that's why Bayern got rid of him, because Thomas Tuchel didn't want to play him in that position.
"He's a player Jurgen Klopp and the club wanted 12-18 months ago and I'm interested to see where he fits in and if Klopp thinks he's going to be that defensive midfield player. He's young, has good pedigree - having played for Ajax and Bayern - and, to be fair, the fee is not that expensive."
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Liverpool allowed Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to all leave when their contracts expired at the end of last season. Jordan Henderson and Fabinho later both took up lucrative offers in Saudi Arabia, banking the Merseysiders more than £50m.
Ryan Gravenberch was struggling for minutes at Bayern (Christof Koepsel/Getty Images)The Reds have since bought in Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Endo to bolster their midfield as they aim to improve on last season's below par showing, which saw them miss out on the top four.
Carragher had been critical of Liverpool's transfer business this summer, which he partly put down to a lack of a consistent sporting director. The Reds tried and failed to land both Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo, haggling over prices before missing out.