Squad building is as much asset management as it is tactical planning. Liverpool securing a 23-year-old with clear technical upside is logical regardless of whether he is the best person to fill his current role.
The interesting question is whether the club sees Gravenberch as the long-term answer at six, or simply as a valuable midfielder. Either way, the renewal buys Liverpool time: either develop him properly into that role or eventually move him to a position where he can offer more.
If neither one proves to be the right fit, then he can be moved on from a position of strength rather than necessity.
Squad building is as much asset management as it is tactical planning. Liverpool securing a 23-year-old with clear technical upside is logical regardless of whether he is the best person to fill his current role.
The interesting question is whether the club sees Gravenberch as the long-term answer at six, or simply as a valuable midfielder. Either way, the renewal buys Liverpool time: either develop him properly into that role or eventually move him to a position where he can offer more.
If neither one proves to be the right fit, then he can be moved on from a position of strength rather than necessity.