TalkSPORT pundit Darren Bent says Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch is eclipsing the two most expensive holding midfielders in the Premier League at the moment.

The Dutchman has made the No.6 position his own this season and, when comparing him to Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo and Arsenal’s Declan Rice, Bent remarked:

“I’m a big Caicedo fan. He got off to a slow start… If you’re talking about right now, he’s not better than Gravenberch. I’ll give you him over Declan [Rice] right now, but not Gravenberch he’s been incredible.”

Gravenberch has played the full 90 minutes in every Premier League fixture so far which demonstrates his newfound importance to his team.

Slot has managed to get the best out of Gravenberch

When the Reds decided to buy the Netherlands international last year, there was some debate about his best position. His manager at Bayern Munich at the time, Thomas Tuchel, said he was a No.8 and he couldn’t fit him into his first-team plans.

Jurgen Klopp saw Gravenberch in the same way but the player struggled for consistency during his first 12 months at Anfield. Things have changed drastically since the appointment of Arne Slot, though.

Liverpool’s new head coach identified that the 22-year-old had the qualities to play as a holding midfielder and he hasn’t looked back since. While some felt that he had the athleticism to play the position, many fans questioned his work rate, but he has been a revelation in that regard since switching to No.6.

Liverpool got themselves a bargain

There was debate over whether it was worth spending €40m (£34m) on Gravenberch when he first arrived on Merseyside from Bayern.

However, when you consider that Caicedo cost £115m and Rice £105m, the Reds will feel very fortunate that they got the Dutchman so cheaply, especially if he can carry on this rich vein of form.

Find out who is in Liverpool’s first-team squad for 2024/2025 season here