Liverpool told they have a player who’s fast becoming ‘irreplaceable’ for Arne Slot | OneFootball

It takes a rarefied standard of player to earn ‘irreplaceable’ status at a club as big as Liverpool, given some of the illustrious names who’ve represented the Reds throughout the decades.

However, in recent times, that adjective has been applied to the likes of Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker, each of whom has been a transformative signing since coming to Anfield and has become part of the furniture in L4.

All three featured in the Community Shield and the Premier League opener against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth respectively, although Ryan Gravenberch missed both games due to family reasons and suspension.

Gravenberch is becoming ‘irreplaceable’ for Liverpool

Liverpool looked worryingly vulnerable in those matches without the Dutchman’s imperious midfield presence, and David Lynch has posed the question as to whether the 23-year-old could now be regarded as every bit as much of a loss to the team as the aforementioned names.

In his latest Substack column, the journalist wrote: ‘You can talk about depth as much as you like, but the fact is that Liverpool would not have won the league last season had, say, Mohamed Salah been injured for its entirety, while the same possibly goes for Virgil van Dijk.

‘Recent events have you wondering whether Ryan Gravenberch is now starting to position himself in that irreplaceable category.

‘That certainly looked to be the case during the Community Shield defeat to Crystal Palace and opening-day Premier League win over Bournemouth, where the Reds were far too easily counterattacked in the absence of an out-and-out defensive midfielder.’

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Liverpool have looked much weaker without Gravenberch recently

After a first season at Liverpool in which he made just 12 Premier League starts, it would’ve been virtually impossible to envisage that – little more than a year later – Gravenberch is now being regarded as an ‘irreplaceable’ presence at Anfield.

However, given how vulnerable the Reds have looked on the counterattack in his absence over the past couple of games, there’s a case to be made that we’re a far weaker team without him in it than with him.

In the matches against Palace and Bournemouth, Slot’s side allowed their opponents 24 shots, with seven of those being on target, and four of those ending in the concession of a goal (FBref). In last season’s Premier League, when the Dutchman was virtually ever-present, we’d let in just two goals after seven games.

With Liverpool not in action until next Monday, Gravenberch will be more than well-rested by the time we take on Newcastle, when hopefully he and Alexis Mac Allister will revive the midfield partnership which was so integral to our title success in 2024/25.

If that formidable duo are back together at St James’ Park and the Reds come away with victory and clean sheet, it’ll further strengthen Lynch’s suggestion that our number 38 has become a player that we cannot do without for any prolonged period of time.