Will missing out on top target Martin Zubimendi be the difference between another third-place finish and winning the league? It is certainly a fear.
Monday brought news that the Spanish European Championship winner had opted to stay at Real Sociedad, days after Liverpool believed he had given a verbal agreement to join them.
With zero new faces this summer, does the new boss Arne Slot have the tools to reach the club’s goals? He now has a monumental task to shoot down Manchester City.
Those were this reporter’s words in mid-August 2024. Writers are always quick to point to the ones they got right – ‘as reported last week…’ is a phrase often used – but it is only fair we broadcast the bad takes, too!
At the time, Liverpool missing out on Zubimendi felt like a hammer blow. He was their dream target in Slot’s first summer and, despite giving him their word, he said no and decided to stay in Spain, leaving the Reds looking incredibly light in midfield going into the new campaign.
To jog the memory, the midfielder was on the verge of a move to Merseyside only to be convinced to stay due to La Real’s charm offensive that included a presentation on how the mountain range and food culture are much better in San Sebastián.
Liverpool would have signed Martin Zubimendi last summer were it not for a last-minute change of heart from the Spaniard
Almost exactly a year on and Zubimendi has moved to the Premier League – but he’s plying his trade in London rather than Liverpool
The season before this, Manchester City had won the league at a canter and their own Spanish No 6, Rodri, had missed four games and they lost three of those. In the 34 he played, they lost a big, fat zero. Fast-forwarding, when Ballon d’Or winner Rodri got injured last term, City capitulated.
So both in hindsight and even now, it seemed a fair argument that without a midfield lynchpin, Liverpool — like City — should have suffered.
Zubimendi could have been the man to bridge that gap between title pretenders and becoming serious title contenders.
Just over 12 months on, we are in a rather funny position. Liverpool, as we know, did not sign Zubimendi – but they went on to win the Premier League at a canter. And on Sunday, the silky Basque star will finally grace the Anfield turf… but as an Arsenal player instead.
It was not just Daily Mail Sport with a strong opinion back then, for the record, most of the fan base also thought it was a nightmare of a situation. Even Slot, who spoke to Zubimendi, and sporting director Richard Hughes, were disappointed.
But no one in these parts has pondered what might have been with the Spaniard since. The reason? Ryan Gravenberch.
The Dutchman at the time was coming off the back of a disappointing first campaign in England where he was limited to a bit-part role and fell out of favour with Ronald Koeman’s national team.
He was giving interviews saying he moulded his game on Zinedine Zidane so fans could be forgiven for not immediately seeing Gravenberch as an option to fill in at holding midfield. But Slot did. Less Zidane and more, er, Zubimendi.
Arne Slot nevertheless found his own world-class holding midfielder in Ryan Gravenberch
The Dutchman’s performances last season, which earned him Young Player of the Season, have made him un-droppable
Not many players came close to him in the Premier League last season, the 22-year-old starting 37 of 38 games and winning young player of the season. The one game he missed, by the way, Liverpool lost 3-1. They conceded four in the two games he has missed this season, too.
To put it simply, Gravenberch is now being written on to Slot’s team-sheets as early as the top dogs Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Alisson. When he is not there, he is missed. He sets the tempo on the ball and swats away counter-attacks when not in possession.
He is not an old-fashioned, bite-your-legs sort of defensive midfielder but more a sublime ball-player who could find space to do a Maradona turn in a postbox. So many times last season, he looked like he was about to lose the ball – only to somehow evade his man.
Daily Mail Sport asked Slot about the Zubimendi-Gravenberch comparison on Friday and the boss said: ‘What we liked about (Zubimendi) was how good he is on the ball and how much game insight he has.
‘We thought, and it was true, that we would have the ball a lot in every single game, and then to have someone in front of your defence that is very comfortable on the ball would have been a good fit for us.Ar
‘Especially if he’s also defensively strong enough for the league, which he’s showing now and which we also expected. But we found all of these things definitely also in Ryan, he’s very comfortable on the ball and defensively strong enough to play in the position.’
‘He’s very comfortable on the ball and defensively strong,’ Liverpool boss Arne Slot said of Gravenberch
Gravenberch and Zubimendi go head-to-head this Sunday as Arsenal travel to Anfield
Last season, Gravenberch won more duels (5.23 per 90 minutes compared), created more chances (0.74), registered more goal involvements (0.11) than Zubimendi. He also came out on top for interceptions, passes, dribbles and possession won.
Zubimendi outclassed Gravenberch for tackles, goals, aerial duels and touches in the opposition box.
Clearly, they are evenly matched. The Dutchman came out on top in the statistical comparison but this is balanced out by the fact he played for a much better team than Zubimendi.
Now they both play for classy teams who control possession and games. Last season’s champions and runners-up are two from two for this term so far — but both of those 100 per cent records cannot stand past this weekend.
For all the glitz and glamour of the attacking options at each manager’s disposal, the Gravenberch-Zubimendi battle could be where the match is won or lost.
Will Liverpool fans finally be given a reason to regret missing out on the silky Spaniard — or will their dynamite Dutchman come out on top once more?
