Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes that "super-talented" midfielder Ryan Gravenberch will slot perfectly into the Reds' system.
The 21-year-old's arrival on deadline day concluded Liverpool's transfer business for the summer window, as he joined from Bayern Munich on a five-year contract.
The Reds are believed to have paid around £34.2m for the signature of Gravenberch, who joins Wataru Endo, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai at the club for the 2023-24 campaign.
Gravenberch departs Bayern following just one underwhelming season with the German champions, having failed to displace the established pairing of Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich.
However, Klopp lauded the former Ajax man as an "exceptional talent" upon his arrival at Anfield, and he believes that his box-to-box prowess will be more suited to his tactical setup than Bayern's.
"Really happy to bring him in because he's an exceptional talent. Everybody knows that. He is 21, played over 100 games for Ajax already," Klopp said in an interview with liverpoolfc.com.
"Had a, I wouldn't even say difficult season at Bayern because in that age group it's completely normal; you go into a world-class team and he had his minutes and stuff like this.
"But how Thomas Tuchel said today in the press conference in Munich I think, the position he is best at, they don't really have in their system. We have that – that's good. We have a lot of games to play. We will see how long he needs now because I don't know, we need to have a look at that.
"He is super-talented, he can drive the ball, he can be really a box-to-box threat, he is going there. He has a good eye for a pass and a good pass. Really excited. It fits into our squad. Very excited about it. He is a smart boy. When I talked to him I realised that pretty quickly. And he loves to be here, it's a good thing as well."
Gravenberch - who stands at 6ft 3in tall - was a protege of Erik ten Hag at Ajax, winning three Eredivisie titles with the Amsterdam giants before earning a marquee move to the Allianz Arena in 2022.
The Dutchman's debut campaign in Bavaria was a forgettable one, though, as he managed just one goal and one assist in 33 appearances and started a mere three games in the Bundesliga.
Gravenberch also played just nine minutes across Bayern's opening three games of the 2023-24 campaign, although he started all three of the Netherlands' group-stage matches during the recent Under-21 Euros.
The Anfield faithful will likely have to wait a little longer to see Gravenberch in action for Liverpool, though, as Klopp does not expect the 21-year-old to be eligible for his debut against Aston Villa on Sunday.
"Yeah. I got told that it will not happen with the paperwork – I'm pretty sure on deadline day everybody, or the decisive offices, are pretty busy," Klopp added. "I didn't follow it yet, what's going on there in the world of transfers, but I am pretty sure they are busy so I think that will not happen but we will see.
"In the moment we don't even know if he can train tomorrow with us. Today is obviously super-busy, he landed this morning really early so he had to get up really early. It's a super-intense day and let's see if he can train tomorrow or not. There is now no need for any kind of rush."
Instead, Gravenberch could be set for his Liverpool baptism at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on September 16 following the international break. body check tags ::
