We simulated Ryan Gravenberch's first season at Liverpool using Football Manager, the results are incredible
Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch is set to sign for Liverpool on transfer deadline day - and we've simulated how his first season at Anfield could go.
The Athletic reported on Wednesday that Liverpool are in talks with Bayern over a permanent deal for the 21-year-old, who joined the German giants last summer.
Fabrizio Romano then confirmed on Thursday that a deal had been reached between the two clubs, with Gravenberch set to undergo a medical on Friday morning ahead of an initial £35 million move.
Should a deal go through, Gravenberch would be the Reds' fourth midfield signing this summer after Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo.
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Manchester United, meanwhile, held interest in the midfielder, but prioritised a move for Fiorentina star Sofyan Amrabat.
Using Football Manager, we simulated Gravenberch's first Premier League season as a Liverpool player - with incredible results.
Ryan Gravenberch at Liverpool simulated
After joining from Bayern, the wonderkid is immediately used as the defensive midfielder in a midfield three by manager Jurgen Klopp.
He lines up in the role for Liverpool's opening weekend win, with Alexis Mac Allister lining up in front of him.
Gravenberch grabbed his first Liverpool goal before the end of August, netting in an eventual 3-1 defeat to Manchester City.
The midfielder retained his defensive midfield spot throughout August, starting all five of the Reds' league games there.
Liverpool ran into a significant problem when it came to the Europa League, though.
After the signings of Gravenberch, Endo and Brazil striker Gabriel Barbosa, the Reds had to unregister one player to fill their homegrown quota. Gravenberch was one of the players that ultimately missed out.
His replacement was 34-year-old Jay Spearing, who played his first game for Liverpool in over 10 years when he came on as a substitute in a 2-0 win over Young Boys.
By February, Liverpool were third in the Premier League, having lost just two games in 21.
Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo shared the top scorer accolade, with 11 goals each.
There was movement in the transfer market, too, with Brazil striker Pedro and Barcelona right-back Sergi Roberto joining on permanent deals.
Endo, meanwhile, was loaned out by the Reds to Ajax after starting just one game in the Premier League.
Gravenberch, though, continued to be a regular fixture in the Liverpool lineup, and made 32 Premier League starts by season's end.
He did move into a more advanced central midfield role following the return of Thiago, but three quarters of his appearances in all competitions were made in defensive midfield.
The Dutch midfielder also further developed his attributes to become even more of a well-rounded player.
A Gravenberch-less Liverpool did prevail in the Europa League, defeating Real Sociedad 2-0 via a dominant performance in the final.
In the Premier League, Jurgen Klopp's side came third, with Manchester City winning the league on 99 points. Arsenal finished in second, with Chelsea in fourth.
Manchester United finished in a lowly seventh - having been as far down as 13th midway through the campaign.
Sheffield United, meanwhile, stayed up at the absence of Brentford, who inexplicably dropped to the Championship.
And Vincent Kompany failed to convert his style of play into results in the Premier League, with Burnley winning just four games and finishing rock bottom.
As for the top goalscorer, Diaz and Gakpo could not keep up their momentum from earlier on in the season. The Golden Boot was won by none other than Arsenal's Kai Havertz, who netted on 19 occasions.
Erling Haaland scored only 16 goals in 36 appearances for City, meaning he was level with team-mate Phil Foden. Foden was named Footballer of the Year, as City once again won the Premier League and Champions League.
Despite Liverpool's error in not registering him for the Europa League, Gravenberch's first season at Anfield went down as a success.
We'll have to wait and see whether he can perform even better if he does complete a move to Merseyside on deadline day - but he'll hope Liverpool register him for the Europa League in any case.
Topics: Liverpool, Premier League, Ryan Gravenberch, Football Manager
Ryan Smart