Andy Robertson extended a warm and humorous welcome to his new teammate, Ryan Gravenberch, upon the midfielder’s arrival at Liverpool.
Ryan Gravenberch officially signed with Liverpool on Friday night, transferring from Bayern Munich for a fee of £34.3 million. This move comes just a year after he joined Bayern from Ajax for £15.8 million.
This signing marks the completion of Liverpool’s midfield restructuring, which involved selling and releasing several first-team players in those positions. The club has brought in replacements such as Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, and now Gravenberch.
Gravenberch had the chance to meet his new teammates at Melwood on Friday, where he was warmly welcomed by Netherlands compatriots Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo.
After catching up with them briefly, they brought him into the training complex, where Gravenberch ran into left-back Andy Robertson for the first time.
Andy Robertson: “finally a good Dutch player” 😂😂😂pic.twitter.com/rDWssOJXXw
— Anything Liverpool (@AnythingLFC_) September 1, 2023
The Scotsman’s first line to him was: “Finally! A good Dutch player!”
Followed by: “You okay brother? Yoy good? Nice to meet you.”
Although, the second line was hard to hear, as van Dijk could be heard in the background audibly laughing out loud at Robertson’s joke.
Gravenberch will be the third senior Dutch member in Liverpool’s new-look squad as the Reds will try to majorly improve on their performances last season.
The midfielder struggled to showcase his talents at Bayern Munich, only managing 24 Bundesliga appearances in the 2022/23 season, with only three of them being starts.
Liverpool’s new no.38 will be hoping to help and transform his new team’s midfield, which Jurgen Klopp is fairly confident about, saying: “Ryan knows he has to improve things but he’s 21, it would be crazy if not. But he is super-talented, he can drive the ball, he can be a box-to-box threat.
“He has a good eye for a pass and a good pass. I said before, we have a big challenge to reinvent pretty much one of the most successful midfields this club ever had, and I really like it.”
The Reds will be hoping to better their 5th placed, trophyless finish from last season following these new acquisitions.