Ryan Gravenberch was always going to be a project signing for Liverpool. Even though he started his time at Anfield in inspired form making four goal contributions in his first five starts, it was always going to take him time to settle.
Only 21-years-old, Gravenberch came to Liverpool on the back of a season where he barely featured for Bayern Munich. He arrived at Anfield without a proper pre-season in Klopp’s side – an essential experience for any new Liverpool player.
So, it’s no surprise that unlike the other new midfield arrivals Gravenberch is taking a bit longer to adjust to Klopp’s system. However, in one area he is doing better than any other Liverpool midfielder this season.
Ryan Gravenberch leads the chart in one area
When it comes to goal-threat, Gravenberch may offer more than any other Liverpool midfielder if we are looking at the underlying numbers.
As per FBref, Gravenberch averages at least 1.03 shots on target per every 90 minutes in all competitions. That’s far and above the highest among Liverpool midfielders.
Harvey Elliott ranks second with 0.95, then Curtis Jones is averaging 0.66, and Dominik Szoboszlai 0.59.
Of course, this stat comes with a lot of caveats. For example, Elliott is more likely to rank higher because he has often played further forward on the wing.
However, the fact that Gravenberch is averaging so many shots on target is really encouraging. Liverpool wanted to add a goal-scoring midfielder to the club’s ranks this summer, and in Gravenberch Klopp could soon have that.
The Liverpool boss just needs to whip him back into shape.
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