Gravenberch Under Fire as Carragher Highlights Midfield Flaws and Liverpool Step Up Chase for £53m Real Madrid Star
Liverpool’s strong desire to acquire a player similar to Eduardo Camavinga, perhaps even the Real Madrid midfielder himself, whom Arne Slot is said to have marked as a priority signing, might have finally highlighted a Liverpool player who has surprisingly escaped scrutiny.
This player may be one of those Jamie Carragher alluded to as being “carried” during their title-winning season.
CaughtOffside reports that Liverpool are likely to make an offer of €60m (£53m) for Camavinga.
He has only started a handful of games for Madrid this season, and there are widespread reports that Xabi Alonso wants a player with a more refined midfield skillset.
According to reports, Arne Slot is prioritizing the acquisition of a 23-year-old midfielder as part of a broader effort to revitalize Liverpool’s midfield.
The team’s central area has reportedly lost the energy and coordination that characterized their title-winning campaign, becoming sluggish and disconnected.
Trending
Spanish media outlet E-Noticies suggests that Liverpool is actively searching for midfield reinforcements.
The club is said to be particularly keen on finding a physically imposing and commanding player, similar to Camavinga, to inject toughness and dynamism into the midfield.
This search reflects a perceived need to address a lack of vigor in the team’s central play.
While Dominik Szoboszlai has generally avoided criticism and is considered one of Liverpool’s better players, often playing out of his natural role, Alexis Mac Allister has faced considerable scrutiny.
His performances have been deemed slow and uninspired, a stark contrast to his more comfortable displays last season.
Even more perplexing is how Ryan Gravenberch has escaped scrutiny despite his shockingly poor performances, which largely justifies the team’s apparent eagerness to find someone else for his role.
Last season, he received as much acclaim as any Liverpool player, and the manager was lauded for successfully placing him in a defensive midfield role where he seemed naturally suited.
His quick turns, defensive coverage, and insightful passing from deep positions were all impressive.
At the beginning of the current season, discussions centered not only on Caicedo versus Rice, but also included Gravenberch.
Now, nobody in their right mind would choose the Liverpool player over the others. Mentioning Gravenberch in that context would be considered absurd.
Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah have unfairly shouldered much of the blame for Liverpool’s decline, being seen as the players whose performances have dropped most significantly.
After their particularly poor showing in the 4-1 loss to PSV Eindhoven, Carragher questioned where the other underperforming players were, emphasizing the need to broaden the focus of criticism.
Carragher is questioning the reliance of certain Liverpool players on the team’s star performers. He’s asking if some players are only capable of performing well when the established stars are playing at their best.
He acknowledges their previous success and league title win, but wonders where those players are when the star players aren’t shining.
He’s essentially suggesting that some players might not be good enough to help Liverpool consistently compete for major honors, citing poor performances in key games as examples. He highlights that these players were previously “carried” by exceptional talents within the team.
Expanding on this, he uses Gravenberch as a specific example, noting that after a promising start, his recent performances have been underwhelming and he appears to be relying on others to carry him.
He contrasts this with the consistent contributions of players like Rice and Caicedo.
He implies that Liverpool’s management, possibly including Slot, are aware of this issue and are seeking upgrades, potentially targeting players like Camavinga, suggesting a desire to bring in players who can consistently perform at a high level regardless of the performances of other individuals.
