'So important' - Tony Adams believes Arne Slot has unearthed Liverpool's very own Patrick Viera
Liverpool are close to winning the Premier League title and Ryan Gravenberch has been a key player throughout.
Tony Adams believes that Ryan Gravenberch has not earned enough credit as Liverpool moved to within three points of the Premier League title.
The Reds' 1-0 victory over Leicester City, courtesy of Trent Alexander-Arnold's 76th-minute goal, means they are on the cusp of winning the English championship for a 20th time.
Few predicted Liverpool would be title contenders at the start of the season, never mind being 13 points clear of second-placed Arsenal. Jurgen Klopp, who restored the Reds' position at the top table of European football, left the Anfeld hot seat and was replaced by Arne Slot.
The Dutchman was relatively unheralded when he arrived on Merseyside but he has continued to build on what Klopp left behind. One change Slot did make, however, was to deploy Gravenberch in the number-six role. The midfielder joined Liverpool from Bayern Munich for £34 million in August 2023 and spent large parts of his maiden campaign as a bit-part player.
But since Slot was appointed boss, Gravenberch has been a key member of the squad. Liverpool were keen on signing Martin Zubimendi last summer, but he could not be prised away from Real Sociedad. Instead, Slot turned to Gravenberch and he has thrived.
The Netherlands international has started every game during the charge towards the Premier League title. And Arsenal legend Adams, who won fours leagues at the Gunners, reckons every team with ambitions of claiming the top-flight crown needs a player of Gravenberch's ilk.
Speaking on Premier League Productions, Adams said: “I love Gravenberch. I don't think we have spoken about him enough. He's a bit like Declan Rice has been for Arsenal. That player is so vital. Every squad I won the title with, I had a player in there who motivated the team, been there week in, week out. I go Patrick Viera, Emmanuel Petit; it is so important to have that [type of] player in there. He has been brought into this team and it's like he has played there for years.”
Klopp favoured more of a police enforcer in the defensive midfield role. Fabinho helped Liverpool win six major trophies after signing from Monaco in 2018. After the Brazilian left Anfield for Saudi Arabia, the Reds made a left-field decision to sign Wataru Endo from Stuttgart.
However, Endo has not started a league game since Slot’s arrival and has primarily been used to see out victories. Instead, Gravenberch has been favoured in an engine-room trio along with Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai. John Barnes believes that underlines how Slot has improved Liverpool in possession.
The former Kop winger said: “He has flourished under Slot. He wouldn’t have played that position under Jurgen because Jurgen wants the [Jordan] Hendersons, the [James] Milners, the Fabinhos. He [Slot] likes technical players.
“You see Curtis Jones in that position as well. The biggest testament I can give Arne Slot is that he’s changed the way they have played in possession. They have been much more controlled and technical. However, out of possession, they still work very hard.”