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Manchester City are just over a week away from their opening game of the 2024/25 campaign as they prepare to face off against Manchester United in the Community Shield.

Pep Guardiola may have been disappointed by his side's trophy haul last season as they only came away with one piece of silverware – the Premier League title.

The Spanish boss may want more success in the cup competitions, domestically and in Europe, this time around as the Cityzens go in search of another treble.

There has not been much change to the City squad during the summer transfer window, though, as they have only made one new signing so far.

Brazil international Savinho has signed on a permanent deal to bolster Guardiola's options on the right side of the attack, after spending last season on loan with Girona in LaLiga.

There is still a few weeks left to go before the summer transfer window officially slams shut, however, and this means that there is still time for the Premier League champions to make further alterations to the group, with outs and ins.

Potential attacking transfers for City

TEAMtalk recently reported that Manchester City forward Jack Grealish is a target for his former club Aston Villa ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

The outlet claimed that the Villans are keeping a close eye on his situation at The Etihad and are weighing up a move for his services, after they qualified for the Champions League last term.

It stated that Unai Emery's side would like to sign the England international on a season-long loan deal, with an obligation to make it permanent next summer. However, there was no mention of how much they would be willing to pay for him.

Guardiola could sanction an exit for Grealish amid this interest from Villa by swooping to sign another attacking midfielder to take his place in the squad.

The Sun reported last month that the Cityzens are one of the teams eyeing up a potential swoop to sign Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace this summer.

It was claimed that City and fellow Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur are both interested in landing the England international and would be willing to pay his £60m release clause if they decide to go ahead and pursue a move before the end of the window.

The Eagles wizard could come in as a fantastic signing for Guardiola who would allow the ex-Barcelona boss to brutally ditch Grealish from the team.

Jack Grealish's struggles with Man City

Man City showed huge faith in the English attacker when they smashed their transfer record to pay a whopping £100m to sign him from Aston Villa in the summer of 2021.

Given the money spent to prise him from Villa Park, the 28-year-old winger has endured an underwhelming time on the pitch with the Cityzens so far.

He has racked up 14 goals and 18 assists in 125 matches for the club in all competitions over the last three seasons combined, and has not hit double figures for goals or assists in any of his Premier League campaigns.

As you can see in the table above, Grealish is coming off the back of a disappointing year in the top-flight with the Cityzens, having been directly involved in just four goals in 20 appearances in the division.

He ranked within the bottom 24% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League for assists per 90 (0.09), which illustrates how poor he has been at creating chances for his teammates to find the back of the net.

For £100m, the England international has not provided consistent quality as a scorer or a creator of goals from a left wing or attacking midfield position, which is why Guardiola should be open to allowing him to re-join Villa this summer.

His exit would leave the team light in the wide areas, particularly on the left flank, though, and that is why the club should swoop to sign Eze.

The Palace star's arrival would then allow City to brutally ditch Grealish without having to worry about being left short for depth ahead of next season.

What Eberechi Eze could bring to City

Whilst the current Cityzens forward has failed to provide enough quality in the final third in recent seasons, Eze has been in impressive form for the Eagles.

He could come in as a big upgrade on Grealish and offer more as both a scorer and a creator of goals from a left wing or attacking midfield role for Guardiola.

In the Premier League last season, Eze contributed with 11 goals, four assists, and seven 'big chances' created in 27 appearances for the London outfit.

The 26-year-old wizard ranked within the top 13% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the division for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.44) and the top 13% for shot-creating actions per 90 (4.82), which shows that he excels at scoring goals and creating opportunities for his teammates to shoot.

As you can see in the table above, Eze has been directly involved in 29 goals in his last 65 Premier League appearances for Palace over the last two seasons.

He has hit double figures for goals in each of the last two campaigns in the top-flight – a feat Grealish has failed to achieve in any of his seasons with City.

These statistics suggest that the £60m-rated star, who was once described as a "delight to watch" by U23 scout Antonio Mango, could come in and improve Guardiola's squad.

Eze could arrive as an upgrade on Grealish, due to his superior quality in the final third, and add more firepower to the Spanish manager's forward line, which could help them to compete on all fronts.

Another Palmer situation: Pep at risk of losing "electrifying" Man City ace

He could leave on a loan or permanent deal

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By
Joe Nuttall

Jul 28, 2024

Therefore, signing the Palace magician would then allow the Premier League champions to send the former Villans captain back to his former club this summer.

Devon Conway is the latest from New Zealand to test positive for Covid-19, the board announced on Thursday. He undertook a PCR test in preparation of a team activity after arriving in London and has begun his five-day isolation after a positive result. The tourists are not seeking a replacement.Conway joins allrounder Michael Bracewell, physio Vijay Vallabh and strength and conditioning coach Chris Donaldson as the others to have tested positive. The trio will travel separately to Leeds for the final Test at Headingley starting next Thursday.The rest of the team has returned negative tests.Conway had scores of 46 and 52 batting at three in the second Test, after captain Kane Williamson tested positive on the eve of the match. With the final game about a week away, it is expected that both Conway and Bracewell would recover and be available for selection.New Zealand have conceded the three-game series 2-0 and will aim for crucial World Test Championship points in the last game in Leeds next week. They are the current holders of the World Test Championship title.

A statue of Harry Kane has finally been unveiled, but is being called the “stuff of nightmares” and likened to an infamous Cristiano Ronaldo bust.

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Sculpture sits in east LondonFirst club saluting strikerCritics less than impressedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Bayern Munich and England striker Kane has been immortalised at The Peter May Centre in Walthamstow, east London. It was there, when turning out for Ridgeway Rovers, that the record-breaking frontman took his first steps towards superstardom.

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In recognition of his achievements, Tottenham and England’s all-time leading goalscorer saw a sculpture commissioned by Waltham Forest Council – at the cost of £7,200. The piece in question is said to have been completed in 2020, but has sat in storage since then.

DID YOU KNOW?

It has now been installed in front of a mural dedicated to Kane, with the man himself on hand to witness the official unveiling, but the piece – which depicts Kane sitting on a bench and a holding a football on his thigh – has divided opinion.

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GettyWHAT ART CRITIC SAID

Social media users were quick to brand it the “stuff of nightmares” while asking why statues of famous sportspeople “all look so bad”. Art critic Estelle Lovatt has added to : “If you think about it historically, a public statue was there to immortalise, show off and loudly boast of the achievements and accomplishments of the person. If it doesn't really bear a resemblance to the person, it's quite difficult to relate to it.

“I just thought the Roman emperors wouldn't have put up with it, with this sort of standard. It's imposing because of its size and its fantastical because of its size, but it lacks any aesthetic creativity. When it becomes quite a laughable depiction, that doesn't empower the craftsman or the artist or indeed the master they are trying to capture. It sort of lets everybody down.”

“Never faced a situation like this,” says Sri Lanka captain after losing three members of six-man attack

Andrew Fidel Fernando29-Dec-2020

Sri Lanka were in such a good situation in the early stages of the first Test they could even have dominated had multiple injuries not hit. This, at least, was the view of Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne, whose dressing room was decimated by injury through the course of the four days at Centurion.Sri Lanka made 396 in the first innings – their highest ever score in South Africa – but lost Dhananjaya de Silva to a thigh strain during what was arguably their most fluent innings of the Test. In subsequent days Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara withdrew from the attack due to injuries, meaning Karunaratne had only three good bowling options remaining.Despite the good first-innings total, they went on to lose by an innings and 45 runs, after South Africa racked up a total of 621 against a substantially depleted attack.”I’ve never faced a situation like this and maybe no one has, where in one match you lose three bowlers,” Karunaratne said. “When we started we had a balanced attack, with bowlers I could use for various roles. But in the first innings we lost that. We had been in a position where we could have even dominated the game. We had been in worse situations than this on our last tour to South Africa when we won those games. Losing this [game] by an innings is a huge disappointment.”We had scored the most we’d ever scored [in South Africa] in the first innings. We knew after making that total that it’s going to get harder to bat on later in the game as well. If our bowlers had stayed fit we would have been able to do something. Our batsmen did a good job in this match.”Karunaratne was unwilling to be too severe on the second-innings batting effort either. Sri Lanka conceded a first-innings lead of 225, but aside from the absence of de Silva, they also had to contend with a niggle that Dinesh Chandimal picked up, as well as Rajitha and Kumara’s inability to do anything but hobble between the wickets. Wanindu Hasaranga was also struggling to run after injuring his thigh diving on the ball on day three.Related

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Karunaratne suggested that Sri Lanka’s collapse to 180 all out in the second innings was at least partly due to injuries having wiped out their prospects of victory.”We were 200 runs behind and if we’d chased that down and set a target, we still wouldn’t have had any bowlers to defend it,” he said. “We had two wicket-taking bowlers, and once their spells finish, the next bowlers we had available are myself, Kusal Mendis and Dasun Shanaka.”We have three wicketkeepers in the XI, so we don’t have a lot of part-time bowlers. I think that must have been in the batsmen’s minds in the second innings, because no matter how well we set up a target, it’s still not going to be easy. And when batsmen can’t run, that makes it tough because then you can only score with fours or sixes. Sticking around for two and a half days on this wicket would have been tough. It was still seaming and the bounce was inconsistent.”Sri Lanka hope to have senior seamer Suranga Lakmal back for the second Test, but he is battling against time to recover from a hamstring niggle by Sunday. Chandimal is also doubtful with what seemed to be groin problem sustained while batting. Top-order batsman Oshada Fernando is expected to be fit for the second game, however. Sri Lanka also have fast bowlers Dushmantha Chameera and Asitha Fernando in reserve, while Vishwa Fernando got through the first Test unscathed – the only frontline quick to do so.”We’re not sure about Suranga’s fitness. We hope he’ll be fit, but we’ll have to watch a few more days. Chandimal’s injury also needs to be observed. We don’t know yet whether he’ll be able to play, but I suspect he’ll be able to. We’ll need to replace Dhananjaya de Silva. The big loss going to Wanderers is that we don’t have our best attack anymore. We’ll do what we can with the players we have left.”In the dressing room, it’s not easy to handle this kind of situation. As a captain I need to work out how to keep my head up and keep the players together. There’s a lot of disappointment because we arrived on this tour with a lot of hopes. We’d been in a positive mindset. But the series isn’t over yet. I’m sure the replacement players will do well in the second Test.”

Celtic have opened talks to sign an £8m-rated player for Brendan Rodgers, with the target in question being praised by former Hoops striker Chris Sutton earlier this year.

Celtic transfer rumours

Those at Parkhead are yet to make their mark in the transfer window, despite reports earlier in the year suggesting that Celtic want to sign a new goalkeeper, winger and striker ahead of the 2024/25 season. Rodgers did admit shortly after the January transfer window closed that the club could be “braver” with their signings, looking to bring in “another level of player” who is “ready-made”.

“I would go with supporters thinking we could maybe be a little bit braver in terms of bringing in another level of player. But that’s up to me to try and fix that over the course of my time here. You look at the strategy here and you have to be careful because in some ways it has worked. You bring in players for a minimal fee and then they go out and make the club a lot of money.

“What I want to hopefully balance in my time here is that we can still do that, because it is an important part of the modern game. But we also want to be brave enough to hang our hat on a ready-made player.”

That may come at a cost, though, but there have been plenty of rumours when it comes to transfer targets. For example, it was mooted that Celtic had a £7m+ offer accepted for Fenerbahce goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, who represented Croatia at Euro 2024.

Celtic could land "incredible" Iwata upgrade

The Hoops were linked with an interest in the central midfielder earlier this summer.

ByDan Emery Jul 4, 2024

In attack, Brondby striker Mathias Kvistgaarden has also been linked with a move to Glasgow, with loanee Adam Idah also “very keen” on returning to Celtic Park on a permanent basis. Now, there has been a now update regarding the Republic of Ireland international.

Celtic open Adam Idah talks

According to Sky Sports, Celtic have made an approach over a move to sign Idah on a permanent deal, however, following initial talks, the two clubs remain far apart when it comes to the forward’s valuation.

It is stated that the Hoops have offered £4m, with previous claims suggesting that the Canaries want around £8m for the striker’s services.

Whether or not Celtic go back in with an improved offer remains to be seen, but should a deal materialise for the striker, Rodgers could be a happy manager.

The 23-year-old, called “sensational” by Sutton, helped the Hoops to a league and cup double last season, scoring nine goals in 19 appearances. Rodgers praised Idah after signing him in January, saying:

“Adam, I’m really excited about having seen him play and now seeing him for a few days, working with him and speaking with him. The ability he has is incredible, really; he has every tool that you want to play at the highest level. He’s obviously doing that internationally, and it’s been a wee bit hit-and-miss for him at Norwich.

“But when I assess him, and we see him in training, we see the finishing; we see the speed, we see the touch; I’m excited by what he can bring us over these next remaining months.”

Who's hot, and who's not? Who's flourishing, and who's in freefall? GOAL ranks all 29 teams across Major League Soccer.

Well? It's nearly here. One Matchday left in the 2024 MLS regular season.

One last chance to secure playoff berth for a select few, and for those who have already secured a postseason spot, one last chance to fight for a higher seed.

Only two matches were played on Matchday 38 over the weekend, with the Columbus Crew battering the New England Revolution, and LAFC narrowly defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps to keep their Western Conference title dreams alive.

Now, it's time to shift gears for Decision Day 2024.

The Western Conference playoff teams are already confirmed, but seeding is still up for grabs on the final day of the season. In the East, meanwhile, four teams are fighting for two spots in the wildcard play-in game for Seeds No. 8 and 9, while the top seeds are yet to be confirmed.

As the season is racing towards its conclusion, which club leads the pack, and who is falling short of expectations? GOAL presents the penultimate MLS Power Rankings of 2024.

Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games now

• 29San Jose Earthquakes ↔️

  The Wooden Spoon is theirs. That's something, right?

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• 28Sporting Kansas City ↔️

  Sporting's campaign has been, well, bad. Peter Vermes couldn't perform his late-season magic this time around, and now, they're looking ahead to 2025. It remains to be seen if their manager comes with them, though.

• 27New England Revolution ⬇️

  Was battered by the Crew 4-0 Saturday evening. There is so much change is needed, from physical personnel to the mentality of everyone in the club.

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• 26Chicago Fire ⬆️

  They appointed ex-USMNT boss Gregg Berhalter as their new manager last week, with his tenure beginning after the completion of the 2024 season. It's an exciting time for Chicago. Excellent hire.

  They wrap up their regular season when they host Nashville on Decision Day.

Manchester United are ready to sell one player who started the FA Cup final win over Manchester City for a £40m loss, according to a new report.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s busy first summer at Man Utd

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS have plenty of work to do at Old Trafford this summer, which could involve moving on a number of Man Utd players. The Manchester Evening News even claimed back in March that there were 21 players facing uncertain futures.

Man Utd make first move to sign "natural born goalscorer" in £51m transfer

Could he be making his way to Old Trafford this summer?

By
Ben Browning

May 28, 2024

Raphael Varane has already confirmed that he’ll be leaving the club when his contract expires, with Tom Heaton, Jonny Evans and Anthony Martial’s deals also up in the summer. Meanwhile, there have been plenty of exit rumours on midfielder Casemiro, who looks to have played his last game for the club amid interest from Saudi Arabia.

There are also a number of the squad who will be entering the final 12 months of their Old Trafford contracts, as can be seen below.

One of those, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, is no stranger to being linked with an Old Trafford exit, and there were reports that Ratcliffe could sell the full-back for £20m. Now, there has been a new update, with one club in talks over a deal and a fee being potentially less than £20m.

Man Utd ready to sell Aaron Wan-Bissaka

According to reports from Italy, Man Utd are ready to sell Wan-Bissaka this summer due to the player entering the final 12 months of his Old Trafford contract.

It is believed that Inter Milan are on the lookout for a replacement to Denzel Dumfries, who has been linked with a move to Man Utd in 2024, and are in talks with the Red Devils over a move for Wan-Bissaka.

The negotiation between the two clubs has been going on for a few days and the valuation is around €12m (£10.2m), which would be around a £40m loss on the fee £50m they paid Crystal Palace back in 2019. The 26-year-old even has a three-year deal worth €2.7m-a-year (£2.3m) on the table at Inter, so it appears as if there could be movement in the coming weeks.

Wan-Bissaka won his second trophy with the Red Devils on Saturday, playing the entirety of the 2-1 win over Manchester City. The appearance was his 30th of the 2023/24 campaign and his 190th in total for United, but it may have been his last going off this update.

Hailed as a “tackling machine” by commentator Jim Beglin, Wan-Bissaka could be one of many that United look to cash in on ahead of the new season, which could then allow Diogo Dalot to move back over to right-back and become first choice next season.

UEFA has written a letter to the UK government threatening a ban for England from its competitions if there is interference with a planned regulator.

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• UEFA warn of potential ban in letter to Culture Secretary
• Officials demand no government interference of regulator
• English teams' places in Europe under threat

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to , UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoris has written to Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, to stress that there should be 'no government interference in the running of football' and explicitly warned that the 'ultimate sanction for which would be excluding the federation from UEFA and teams from competition'. Theodoridis emphasised the need for independence after proposals for a new regulator were brought forward by Sir Keir Starmer’s new Labour Government in the King’s Speech.

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• Getty
  

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  The concept of an independent regulator has been suggested by both major UK political parties, with the notion initially put forward last year by the previous government. The regulator would oversee a licensing system to ensure clubs are run sustainably, take over a strengthened owners and directors test, and give fans a greater say in key decisions.

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT UEFA SAID

  An excerpt of the letter reads: "We do have concerns remaining… as normally football regulation should be managed by the national federation.

  "One particular area of concern stems from one of Uefa's fundamental requirements, which is that there should be no government interference in the running of football.

  "We have specific rules that guard against this in order to guarantee the autonomy of sport and fairness of sporting competition; the ultimate sanction for which would be excluding the federation from UEFA and teams from competition."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND AND UEFA?

  Nandy reportedly has yet to respond to the letter but both the government and the footballing authorities have previously insisted they will work with all parties to ensure a fair and appropriate system will be implemented. Privately, officials are said to believe there is no risk of England being banned by UEFA.

  England's national team will continue their prepping for the Euros as normal, beginning with another international break next month where Lee Carsley's side will continue their Nations League campaign.

Mikel Arteta admitted to being "more than influenced" by Jose Mourinho and also addressed the "dark arts" allegations made by Manchester City players.

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Ten-men Arsenal held Man City to a 2-2 drawArteta took inspiration from MourinhoDismissed 'dark arts' claims by Man City playersFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Leandro Trossad was given the marching orders after he picked up his second yellow for kicking the ball away – an almost identical offence that led to Declan Rice's dismissal against Brighton earlier this month. This forced Arteta to take a leaf out of Mourinho's coaching manual and park the bus in front of David Raya between the sticks, in an attempt to defend the lead in the second half against a marauding City side.

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Arteta almost pulled off the stunt on rival territory but for John Stones who found a late equaliser deep inside stoppage time to earn a valuable point for the hosts. Nonetheless, credit must be given to the Gunners who dug deep and almost weathered the storm in a fashion that Mourinho would have been proud of.

WHAT ARTETA SAID

When Arteta was asked if Mourinho has influenced him, he replied: "More than influence, I think you learn a lot from other top coaches and you try to understand why they’ve been successful. But if it goes in a different direction, do you have the ability to adapt?"

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DID YOU KNOW?

After the match, Stones created quite a furore by claiming that Arsenal have "done [dark arts] for a few years" as Rodri went out injured with a suspected ACL tear.

Arteta rubbished those claims and said: "I always prefer the facts to words or supposing things. Let's see who is available tomorrow and then we can talk about 'dark arts' or these things or if it's a reality. Unfortunately, yes there will be a few players not available. I don't know. It's opinions and that's it."

When asked if the Arsenal injuries were serious, he said: "We have to wait on one of them. As I mentioned before I think other things will be factors and that's it. We will use the facts. (What are the other factors?) Well, if a player is faking something that means he will carry on and be involved in the squad and play."

The Reds missed out on their top transfer target this summer, but a forgotten man is helping them swiftly get over this disappointment

"We’ve seen this four or five times in the game where he just opens those legs up and runs away from people. [Kobbie] Mainoo has to bring him back [and] gets the yellow card. It’s almost [Patrick] Vieira-like."

That was Jamie Carragher's take after Ryan Gravenberch got the pundit's tongue wagging with a dominant display for Liverpool against Manchester United. The Dutchman had just helped new Reds boss Arne Slot pass his first, proper test since taking over at Anfield with flying colours, starring in his side's 3-0 demolition of United at Old Trafford. Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah may have got the goals, but this game was won in midfield.

Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Gravenberch were all sublime: a fluid but rock-solid pyramid that drove their United counterparts into the ground. After the game, Carragher took the opportunity to poke fun at a particularly bold claim that partner-in-crime Gary Neville made ahead of the game. "Would you still not swap midfields?" he jibed.

We are used to witnessing these sorts of performances from Mac Allister and Szoboszlai, who reached similar heights during their first season at Anfield. But with Gravenberch, his eye-catching display – and excellent start to the campaign in general – came as more of a surprise.

AFPFuture of Dutch football

Indeed, Gravenberch's recent career has been a tale of unfulfilled potential. There was a time when he was hailed as the future of Dutch football. In 2018, he became Ajax's youngest-ever Eredivisie debutant, beating the legendary Clarence Seedorf's record by over 100 days as a 16-year-old.

In the seasons that followed, he established himself a first-team regular, helping Erik ten Hag's side to successive league titles in 2021 and 2022, scoring in the Champions League and following Frenkie de Jong, Christian Eriksen and Matthijs de Ligt by winning the Johan Cruyff Trophy, a prize awarded to the best Under-21s player in the Netherlands. He received international recognition too, making Frank de Boer's squad for Euro 2020.

Comparisons to footballing icons were common, with Paul Pogba among those mentioned as a reference point, due to both players' blend of technical and physical prowess as well as their ability to occupy multiple midfield roles seamlessly. Gravenberch wasn't afraid to encourage these lofty expectations either.

"I see people comparing me to such celebrities as a compliment and doesn't put me under any extra pressure," he said to . "I think I should try to be myself. Ten years from now, if young footballers are told they look like Ryan Gravenberch, then I've done well in my career."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWasted potential

It was always a question of when, not if, Gravenberch would tread a familiar path by leaving Ajax behind for one of the continent's big boys. And after a couple of summers of tussling, Bayern Munich would emerge victorious in that particular transfer battle in 2022.

Gravenberch claimed he didn't take long to decide on Bavaria as his next step, immediately vowing to "win lots of titles". The club were perhaps even more enthused by the transfer, though.

"He's one of the biggest talents in Europe, has superb technical ability, always finds solutions in tight spaces, is very dynamic and a goal threat," sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said at the time. "The fact he’s chosen FC Bayern shows that he’s convinced by us as a club and the opportunities here. We love players with that mentality. We’re confident that we’ll enjoy lots of success with him."

But as it turned out, that confidence was misplaced. Gravenberch went from one of the first names on the team sheet in Amsterdam to scrapping for playing time on the bench. In the end, he would make just four Bundesliga starts, while minutes in the Champions League were even harder to come by. Despite Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich enduring their worst seasons in recent memory, both Julian Nagelsmann and his replacement Thomas Tuchel were simply not convinced he warranted a larger role.

Gravenberch wasn't happy either, venting his frustration to at the end of that season. "I expected to play more minutes than I did. I thought I would get some more chances… I told everyone that I don’t want another year like that. Of course, you can’t always be in the starting XI, but you can still play regularly – you can get a lot of minutes."

Getty Images SportMore of the same on Merseyside

A few months after these pointed comments, Gravenberch jetted off to Liverpool for, in his own words, "a fresh start". The final piece of the Reds' much-discussed midfield rebuild, following the arrivals of Mac Allister, Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo, he experienced similar struggles during his maiden Anfield campaign.

There were moments of promise, particularly in the Europa League, but on other occasions he failed to influence proceedings in any meaningful way. Jurgen Klopp summed up his 2023-24 season perfectly in February, saying: "He had outstanding performances where he was Man of the Match for us internally and other matches where you think ‘where was he actually today?'"

This inconsistency is not unusual for a player still developing, but there was a feeling that the current campaign represented a significant moment for Gravenberch. He was even tentatively linked with an Anfield exit this summer. Fortunately for him, it appears things are finally starting to click under Slot.

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Getty Images SportUnlocked by Slot

One of the main reasons Liverpool hired Slot this summer was his track record for improving players. It may still be early days, but there's been plenty to suggest that this knack will be continuing at Anfield.

Diaz, long derided for his lack of composure in front of goal, has already scored three times following intense one-to-one work with the Reds boss. Szoboszlai, meanwhile, has been liberated, showcasing his explosive dribbling ability and leaving his poor end to the season in the rearview mirror. And then there's Gravenberch, who's flourishing in Slot's 4-2-3-1 system.

Fielded alongside Mac Allister in a double pivot, but with license to roam, his reinvigoration began right from the first whistle of his side's Premier League opener against Ipswich Town. During that victory, Gravenberch used the ball better than any other Liverpool player, completing nine passes in the final third and setting Salah free in the build-up to his side's opener.

His manager was left satisfied, with his deployment in a nominally deeper role initially raising some eyebrows before kick-off. "Ryan is attacking-minded, but if we play with him [in defensive midfield], the rest of the team needs to help him as well… But what we do know with Ryan is that he can play the ball forward if he sees options to do so. So, that helped us today, especially in the second half."