Arne Slot insists Liverpool have “moved on” from Martin Zubimendi, but claimed there would have been room in his squad for both him and Ryan Gravenberch.
There were whispers earlier in the week of a renewed bid for Zubimendi in January, with a claim via a parody Twitter account gaining traction over the Real Sociedad midfielder’s ‘regret’.
Of course, those rumours were false, though having been picked up by the majority of the English press it revived hopes among fans.
But with Gravenberch having excelled in his place so far this season – as arguably Liverpool’s best player so far – Slot insists they have “moved on” after Zubimendi’s rejection.
“There is no point talking about Zubimendi anymore because he stayed with Real Sociedad and we’ve moved on and we are really happy with Ryan,” he told journalists including the Times‘ Paul Joyce.
“You see a Ryan who is full of confidence and that comes normally with good performances and trusting your team-mates and knowing that you can do what you have to at that level.”
Slot did, however, insist both players would have fitted into his setup: “If you’ve noticed it is not that much of one holding midfielder, it is a bit more two.
“And one of those two can be a bit more attacking and I think the player you mentioned could have fitted in in one of those two roles and Ryan can fit in both roles like Curtis can, Mac Allister can and Wataru can.”
Such is the level of performance from Gravenberch that Liverpool arguably no longer need a top-level recruit in the No. 6 role.
While another addition to his midfield can be expected within the next year, particularly with doubts over Wataru Endo, Slot’s compatriot looks likely to retain the first-choice spot.
“I wouldn’t say I am surprised because he’s Dutch, I’m Dutch, so I saw him playing at Ajax when he came up into the first team,” the head coach said of Gravenberch’s rise.
“Everybody saw back then what a special talent he was and probably for that reason he went to two amazing clubs, Bayern Munich and Liverpool.
“You can only go to these clubs if they see you have a lot of quality.
“Then it is up to us to make sure we get the best out of him and that is not only down to what we, as a training staff, do but also he is the most important for that.”
