Owen Hargreaves questions if Arne Slot can win Premier League title with Liverpool midfielder

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Arne Slot must be finding this new Liverpool gig pretty easy after his side secured a narrow 2-1 win over Wolves on Saturday.

The Dutchman only replaced a legendary figure in Jurgen Klopp, yet in next to no time, Liverpool are sitting top of the Premier League table.

Klopp himself deserves huge credit because he has left behind a pretty strong squad for the new man in the dugout.

And, as everyone has seen, Slot has added his details to the piece, brought a sense of calmness and the team is flying high at the top.

In the summer, there was a lot of talk around Liverpool’s lack of transfer business, before they secured some late deals.

One deal that didn’t go through, and it frustrated many, was Martín Zubimendi turning down the chance to join Liverpool.

The 25-year-old had just won Euro 2024 with Spain and he was flying high, yet he felt that it wasn’t the right time to leave Real Sociedad.

In the end, the Reds didn’t bring in that number six that they craved, with Wataru Endo the only specialist for that role, but he isn’t fancied by the manager and is yet to start a Premier League game this season.

The man who has started that deeper role has been Ryan Gravenberch and he picked up the Man of the Match award against Wolves.

Gravenberch has surprised many with his performances because he has transformed into a key player since Slot’s arrival.

But Owen Hargreaves isn’t so sure about the player, especially when the bigger and far tougher games come along, both in the Premier League and the Champions League.

The former Bayern Munich star admitted that the Netherlands international has done ‘brilliantly well’ and ‘I love what he is doing’.

But Hargreaves doesn’t think Slot can win the title or Champions League with Gravenberch playing as a six and, as result, ‘they will go and get somebody’, as he told Premier League Productions (28/09/24 at 7:40 pm).

Liverpool won’t win Premier League title with Ryan Gravenberch

“He has done brilliantly well, but he is not a defensive midfield player, which is fine because when you are playing teams like this which you will beat,” said Hargreaves.

“He is 190cm. He is 22 years old. He has got everything. But he is not a specialist defensive midfield player. There is a difference. I think he is a brilliant midfield player, he is a box-to-box, depending on who you play.

“But I think in a big game, in a one-off game, to go and win the Premier League or the Champions League, I think you need a specialist. Liverpool showed that with Fabinho or Manchester City showed that with Rodri. I still think they will address his position. But credit Gravenberch, he has grabbed his chance and that’s all you need. He said ‘what’s different?’ And he said ‘just play me’. That’s what you need as a player, you need someone to trust you and he has proven it. I still think tougher tests will come – I love what he is doing, but I still think they will go and get somebody.”

Ryan Gravenberch proving doubters wrong

This stems back from the 22-year-old’s days at Bayern Munich and how it just didn’t work out for him at the German club.

Gravenberch showcased so much promise and quality when coming through at Ajax, but he just didn’t rise as much as fans wanted him to in Munich.

READ MORE: Paul Merson says £75m Liverpool player might not get into the Arsenal team

He even took his time in his debut campaign at Anfield, he wasn’t showing much, without doing much wrong, but now a lot has changed.

One thing is for sure, Gravenberch is proving a lot of people wrong and he deserves to show everyone that he is more than capable of playing a pivotal number six role for the team.