What you should know about Gravenberch

Ryan Gravenberch has looked like something of a spare part at Bayern Munich so far. He could be on the move this summer. What would he bring to your club?

By Lars Sivertsen, Football Expert for Betsson

Ajax are a remarkable football club in many ways, and their academy is particularly impressive. The way they have a certain footballing identity that runs all through the club, from the academy all the way to the first team, is the envy of the footballing world. It means that when young Ajax players are given a chance with the first team, they arrive forearmed with a fundamental tactical understanding of what the team is trying to do on the pitch. Though when it comes to moving on from the Dutch serial champions, this advantage can suddenly become a drawback. “Ajax players don’t always travel well, because they’re so ingrained in that particular way of playing football”, Tor-Kristian Karlsen, a scout and executive with a wealth of experience from European football, tells The Lars Resort podcast. And in the case of Ryan Gravenberch, it’s tempting to speculate that this could be part of why his move to Bayern Munich hasn’t quite worked out so far. “Maybe that’s worked against him and it will take some time for him to express himself in a different tactical environment”, Karlsen says.

But Karlsen is keen to stress that he, personally, is still a massive fan of the midfielder. “He’s so talented. Number eight, number six, number ten, he can play any position in midfield. Probably best as an attacking number eight, but he’s so elegant, smooth on the ball, has an understanding of the game. He can beat a man in midfield. Strikes the ball well from distance. Well schooled and polished. Brilliant to watch. I thought that he would be one of the bargains of last summer’s transfer window, but it hasn’t quite worked out yet”. It’s possible Gravenberch has struggled to get used to life outside the Ajax bubble, but the explanation could also be much simpler. They Bayern Munich midfield is, after all, pretty good, and getting consistent game time in midfield for the Bavarian giants is no simple task. “One of the main criticisms of Julian Nagelsmann at Bayern Munich was that he failed to develop the younger players, and I think possibly Ryan Gravenberch was one of the players that the Bayern hierarchy had in mind”, Karlsen suggests.

Having made less of an impact at Bayern than expected, Gravenberch could be looking for a way out. He told Dutch paper De Telegraaf  this summer that “”I just want to play more, preferably at Bayern. Otherwise at a club where I’ll 100 per cent play. That’s my preference. I don’t want to have another year like the one I’ve just had. I really learned a lot from it. But I just want to play football”. And so for the right price Bayern’s loss could be another club’s gain. If Gravenberch can recapture anything like the form he showed at Ajax, he would be a great addition to a number of clubs.

Gravenberch started only three games in the Bundesliga for Bayern last season, but came off the bench 21 times. This kind of stop-start seasons means his statistical profile from the last year is not totally representative of the player he can be. Still, looking at data from the Fbref website, his numbers are still fine. He is well above average in a number of attacking metrics like “progressive passes”, “progressive carries” and “successful take-ons”. He shows that he can progress the ball up the field, and he combines this with a perfectly respectable defensive profile. He completed more tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes on the pitch than 73% and 71% of his European midfield peers.

He is still just 21 years old. He pulled the strings in midfield for a brilliant Ajax team, standing out and a smooth mover and clean striker of the ball. He combines his skill on the ball with a perfectly respectable defensive output. If the right club can convince Bayern Munich to let him go, Ryan Gravenberch could be a huge signing for someone this summer.

Listen to The Lars Resort podcast here: https://soundcloud.com/user-721285592