Is it simply the result of having another year to acclimatise to life in the Premier League, or is down to Arne Slot’s influence in the Liverpool hotseat?
When discussing the transformation of Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo from good players to great ones in this soon-to-be title-winning Reds squad, Liverpool legend Sammy Lee feels that the answer probably lies in both camps.
Following his £34 million move to Anfield from Bayern Munich back in 2023, Gravenberch certainly had his moments during Jurgen Klopp’s final year at the helm.
But there was relatively little evidence to suggest that, under fellow Dutchman Slot, he would evolve into a midfielder of such poise and purpose.
If Dominik Szoboszlai bangs the drums and Alexis Mac Allister tickles the ivories from the base of Slot’s central trio, then Ryan Gravenberch is the rhythm guitarist capable of flitting effortlessly from slaloming solos to feel-good funk.
Cody Gakpo, meanwhile, has matched his tally of 16 goals from last season but in ten fewer games.
While not always a starter in Slot’s XI, the former PSV Eindhoven winger is a man for the big occasion in a Liverpool shirt. This term, Gakpo has found the net against Manchester United, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen, while also setting The Reds on their way to the EFL Cup final during that semi-final trouncing of Tottenham Hotspur.
Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo have improved so much at Liverpool
Lee, who accumulated 14 trophies during a decade at Liverpool, wonders if Gravenberch and Gakpo were always destined to reach new heights this term.
Though the appointment of a fellow Dutchman in Slot – the former Feyenoord coach who came to know both players during his time in the Eredivisie – has certainly done very little harm to their respective development.
“[Arne Slot] has nurtured them. You see the evolution of the likes of Gravenberch, Gakpo… fantastic to see,” Lee says.
“They may have been better players anyway, the second season in, but they are blossoming and flourishing now. A lot of credit to the recruitment department because, recruitment is huge.”
Liverpool reportedly paid a combined fee of around £70 million for Gravenberch and Gakpo.
Considering the sums other Premier League clubs have invested in lesser footballers during the same timeframe – see Enzo Fernandez, Antony, Mykhaylo Mudryk and Matheus Nunes, for instance – and Liverpool’s success once again owes much to their expertise in the market.
Gravenberch has been ‘fantastic’ under Anfield boss Arne Slot
Gravenberch is ‘good enough for Real Madrid’ these days. At least, that is what his agent believes.
And those his comments may have been lost in translation a little – Jose Fortes himself admits a departure from Anfield is ‘impossible’ right now – the point still stands. And it was a point many would have scoffed at only 12 months ago.
“Gravenberch has been fantastic,” Lee adds. “Like a lot [of the Liverpool players], they have had a little bit of a dip of late. Maybe nerves have taken over because they are so close. But he has been fantastic.
“That maybe his natural evolution because it’s his second year in the team. [But] Arne has given him that freedom. And when you see him glide past people, its great to see.
“Fantastic.”
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