Latest news with #RyanGravenberch
Daily Mirror
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Chelsea weigh up swoop for £40million Arsenal and Liverpool transfer target
Chelsea are still in the market for new signings and the Blues could soon swoop for an Ajax defender who has been on the radar of both Arsenal and Liverpool in the past 12 months Chelsea are understood to be mulling over a move for Jorrel Hato, the highly-rated Ajax defender who has previously been of interest to both Arsenal and Liverpool. The Blues are in the market for more quality reinforcements ahead of the new Premier League campaign and have seen their coffers significantly boosted by their ventures at the Club World Cup, which has netted them an estimated £97million. Deals for Liam Delap and Joao Pedro means Enzo Maresca already has far more depth in attack ahead of the 2025-26 season. And it's now emerged that Chelsea are keen on strengthening at the other end of the pitch before the transfer window shuts with a new defender on their summer wishlist. With that in mind, says that Hato, 19, is emerging as a serious target for Chelsea, though they are not the only English team who admire the Netherlands star. Liverpool are known to be big fans of the central defender, who can also operate at left-back. Arsenal, too, have previously been credited with an interest in Hato, who it's understood could be snapped up for around £40m this summer. It's Hato's versatility which seems to appeal to Chelsea, with the report adding that they are set to be without a natural left-back to provide competition and support for Marc Cucurella. That's because Ben Chilwell, Renato Veiga and Ishe Samuels-Smith are all expected to depart this summer with the latter currently in talks over a move to the Blues' sister club, Strasbourg. Hato has made a big impression since breaking into the Ajax first-team and, as outlined above, has regularly been linked with a move to the Premier League. The defender's presence at Anfield for a league game between Liverpool and Ipswich Town back in January only fuelled speculation that the Ajax star was primed to swap Amsterdam for Merseyside. But it was subsequently explained that Hato was simply at the game after being invited by his friend, Ryan Gravenberch. Speaking about transfer speculation previously, Hato said: "I read it all [the transfer rumours]. But I also know that not everything was right. "For my development it's best that I stay at Ajax now. I was invited by Ryan Gravenberch. But I didn't speak to a director there. Liverpool played well and the atmosphere in the stadium was good, but there is no more to say."
Evening Standard
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Evening Standard
Preston vs Liverpool: Kick-off time, TV, live stream, team news, h2h results, prediction, odds
Ryan Gravenberch is available to play during pre-season and in the Community Shield match against FA Cup winners Crystal Palace at Wembley on August 10, but will miss the start of the new Premier League campaign after being sent off on the final day of last term.
New York Times
03-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Football Architects: Rebuilding Ajax's famous academy in Johan Cruyff's image
This is the first of a six-part series looking at figures who have played a pivotal role in a modern football success story. 'People thought, when the Plan Cruyff started, that nobody cared anymore if the youth sides won,' says Jasper van Leeuwen. 'That's not true. If you walk through the gates of Ajax as a player, you have to want to win. That has to be in your DNA. 'But you, as a coach, should not do everything in your power to win the match. I remember once joking with the under-15 coach. I said: 'Look, if being under-15 champion is so important, then why is it never in the newspaper?'. It never is because it is not important. It's important for you, but not for the world in general. Advertisement 'What is important is for you to develop the super talent in your team. If you do that well, he'll be all over the newspaper. That's what your role in the academy is about.' With conversations like these, it is clear why the battle to reform Ajax's academy was truly a battle for the soul of the Dutch giant. After the legendary Johan Cruyff and his followers regained control of the De Toekomst (The Future) in 2011, they began working with a generation of young players who are now in their prime. Arsenal's Jurrien Timber, Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberch, Manchester United pair Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, Newcastle United's Sven Botman, and Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong all passed through their doors. It may have been almost a decade since Cruyff passed away from lung cancer, but his legacy is still very much alive. 'This is not Ajax any more,' Cruyff famously wrote in De Telegraaf in September 2010, following a 2-0 defeat by Real Madrid. The Netherlands' most famous institution was tearing itself apart. Within a year, the club's complex board structure, allied with disparate viewpoints over the future strategic direction of the team, meant some disputes would ultimately end in court, with Cruyff attempting to block the appointment of Louis van Gaal as the club's new director. 'Ajax is a company that is publicly traded,' explains Ruben Jongkind, one of Cruyff's close confidants and a key figure in the club's academy. 'It is also an association with hundreds of members, many of whom have been at the club for a long time. All have a heart for a club. But this structure makes everything difficult to run. 'It's a big umbrella under which everybody hopes for the best for Ajax, but not everybody agrees on the direction. The finances were also a big problem. There was no room for gradual improvement or small changes — it was a do-or-die moment. Either you change and reform, or you continue and Ajax really suffers. And this shock therapy caused resistance.' Central to Cruyff's gripes was a belief that the club's academy was no longer producing elite talents. He thought the club was stuck in a stasis, whereby they could win the odd Eredivisie title, but were effectively an afterthought in wider significance. Having been convinced to rejoin the board from Barcelona in 2011, Cruyff began working with like-minded coaches and executives to implement sweeping changes, drawing on the lessons from his legendary playing and coaching career. Advertisement One of these assistants was Jongkind, who initially specialised in coaching athletics, but who had begun working at Ajax to improve the form and explosiveness of the club's academy players. Van Leeuwen, meanwhile, was later brought on board as an advisor, first auditing the academy structures before eventually serving as Ajax's head of talent recruitment. Over the phone, Cruyff, Jongkind, and academy chief Wim Jonk wrote out a plan to reform the club — sketched out on a roll of wallpaper from an Airbnb — before presenting it to club officials, including Marco van Basten, Dennis Bergkamp, and Frank Rijkaard. 'Wim and I went for a coffee before meeting all these Ajax greats and Cruyff,' remembers Jongkind. 'And we were walking on the street and I was like: 'Hey Wim, did you bring our plan?'. He said: 'No, did you? Oh s***'. We realised we left it in the bar. I sprinted back to grab it and it was still there, luckily.' The absence of an overzealous waiter may have changed the course of Ajax. At the end of discussions which lingered onwards for months, Cruyff and his disciples had a deal — they would be in control of the academy, which had its budget increased by 25 per cent. 'That was controversial,' remembers Van Leeuwen. 'And it depends how you calculate, but the sales of players developed in the academy have exceeded €400million. Seeing as we ended up with a budget of around €8m, you can imagine the return on investment. It was crazy.' But this was all some way off. Back then, they were walking into an Ajax who were not quite Ajax. Martin Jol's brand of football was uninspiring, while the only youth players of note to have been produced over the previous decade were Daley Blind, Jan Vertonghen, and Christian Eriksen (of which only Blind was predominantly developed at Ajax). 'Obviously, there were people working to make things better, but the whole structure was not in place,' says Jongkind. 'Players of high quality were not coming through, they were below Champions League level. And how would we get back our attacking style of play? 'A big factor for us was the disappearance of street football — the technical, physical, and mental level was changing compared to the 1970s, 1980s, and the beginning of the 1990s. So our old model of attractive football had to be redefined and reinvented in the new context of society.' Advertisement One of the first things they addressed was the academy's structures. Traditionally, coaches had been paid on a sliding scale, with those in charge of the older age-groups, such as the under-16s, on a higher salary than the under-9s. 'In my view of development, this was completely absurd,' says Jongkind. 'If it was anything, it should have been the other way around. In human development, what are the most important years of your life? It's between zero and six when your brain is formed. Their minds are more plastic and able to absorb more information. 'Ultimately, every year is important. So we asked: 'Why is it right that the under-19 coach earned three times more than the under-7 or under-8 coach?'. It caused a vicious cycle of performance-related thinking. How can I show I'm a good coach? By winning, by playing the best players in their best positions. Then I can move up. But then everyone is wanting to earn more for doing the same work. So we broke this up and said everybody earns the same.' Other parts were more practical than philosophical. As part of their scouting network, the older model, which evaluated players' skills, known as TIPS, needed to be updated. Many of Cruyff's thoughts had historically only ever existed within the maestro's head. 'We needed to put them into a workable methodology,' explains Van Leeuwen. 'Entering the Ajax youth system, I was a bit surprised that we had this big old-school Excel file filled with the names of 1,200 players around the country. Soon, we started to hear the stories of this special kid from the south of Holland, which was Frenkie de Jong. 'So I took this old list, entered the name, and he was not even there. How was this possible? It was crazy because we had two or three people recommending him. But then we were told how he was when he was 12, 13, 14. And Frenkie was one of those examples of a late-maturing player who had the skills, had the vision, and then when the power came into play, that's when he exploded. 'Let's make it clear that he was not in Ajax's academy for very long — Willem II nurtured him — but I think he was heavily influenced by Ajax's physical performance programme, which made him even better.' De Jong was just one of several successes that Ajax had with late developers. Coaches had noted the prevalence of the relative age effect within the academy — the overrepresentation of physically dominant older players within a particular age group, which at one point saw 70 per cent of the academy born in the first half of the year. Advertisement One way they reacted was to change the structure. Instead of organising everything in terms of each individual team — under-10s, under-11s, and so on — players were considered as part of wider groups. Though they still played in their own age groups at the weekend under competition rules, players were considered as part of the 6-9 group, 9-12 group, 12-15 group, or 15-18 group. One player who benefited was Mazraoui, now playing at right-back for Manchester United. Knocking on the coaches' room door for advice one evening, he was told by Jongkind to continue focusing on his skill set — that with a well-built father, his physical development would come later. As previously reported by The Athletic, Ajax actually played him down a year, so Mazrouai was playing alongside those who were his physical equals — and began to shine as a result. Another challenge, conversely, was how to challenge the early developers. 'One that comes to mind is Ryan Gravenberch,' says Van Leeuwen. 'He was at the Ajax academy from a very young age, before we even got there, and he was a spectacular youth player. We nicknamed him 'The Snake' because of the way he moved, he was always quite tall with this physical maturity. He didn't beat opponents because of his strength, it was because of his fluid movements and silky touch. 'But everyone saw his talent, so he was quite hyped and the academy could be quite an easy ride for him. So his struggle did not come until he joined Jong Ajax, and even in the first team, when he made it, he had up and down moments.' Other early developers were played out of position to develop other parts of their game. The Timber brothers, Jurrien and Quinten, were one example, tempted over from Feyenoord to develop their ability on the ball. Previously, the pair had started together at centre-back, scarcely ever conceding a goal or being tested. The best example, however, was De Ligt. 'He was very strong and very talented at a young age,' says Van Leeuwen. 'So we moved him up two or three years, but not only that, we moved him into midfield for a long time, even though we knew he'd be a centre-back. Advertisement 'For winning matches at that point, it was quite a stupid move, so some coaches didn't like it. But it was perfect for Matthijs' development because he developed his 360-degree vision, his speed of action, his versatility.' Newcastle's Botman, just four months younger than De Ligt, had a very different experience. Like his fellow centre-back, Botman was an early developer, but was far less highly rated. 'Sven grew very quickly into a tall player and he was like a newborn giraffe,' says Van Leeuwen. 'His weapons were his heading, aerial duels, and blocking people with his long legs, but he had difficulties with his movement, his motor skills. He especially struggled with attackers making diagonal runs, which meant he did not stand out. 'In all honesty, we did not expect him to reach the level he has. But then we need to not forget about everything that's not football related, but which is about character, your upbringing, your environment. All those things were good with Sven.' Back on the pitch, one concern in the coaches' pursuit of attacking football was how to implement the same philosophy across the club. Self-evidently, there were different ability levels between the under-9s and Jong Ajax. Cruyff's philosophy was central — together, they worked with the Ajax advisor to distil his vision into eight principles which could be pursued across any age group. 'You had to train them, you had to implement them in your game,' says Van Leeuwen. 'The actual tactics themselves were more flexible, so you could adapt to the moment in the game, but this step was the paradigm shift.' This was total football, distilled into coachable steps. The eight principles were: Coaches occasionally disagreed. On counterpressing, for example, Cruyff spoke of a three-second rule, a time limit for winning the ball back. Once, current PSV head coach Peter Bosz, then at Ajax, told Cruyff that he personally favoured a five-second rule. 'Count to five in your head,' Cruyff replied. 'Now think how far the ball can go. That's half a pitch.' Advertisement Sometimes, the pursuit of the more difficult ideals meant that youth teams lost matches — defensive lines would be set too high against rapid opposition strikers; a midfielder playing out of position at left-back for their own development would be beaten one-vs-one. The senior coaches were not dissuaded. 'Of course, it's important to have your standards high,' says Jongkind. 'But defending forward can be dangerous. Players might anticipate the action wrong and go too soon or too late, and as the last line of defence, there is a lot of space behind them. You can easily have a goal. For compactness, the same thing. You can concede a few goals and lose the match. 'Of course, against Feyenoord, some were still against this risky football. But this is related to the structural problem in youth academies — there is too much focus on the result. And this is one of Cruyff's main principles — education is a long process. We need to use matches for children to learn so they can win the matches in the future.' For both Jongkind and Van Leeuwen, one of the players who best exemplified these eight principles was Abdelhak Nouri, a late developer with creativity running through his veins. Nouri won Jong Ajax's player of the season in 2016-17, made his first-team debut at 19, and, in July 2017, had just been promoted into the senior squad. That month, he collapsed due to cardiac arrhythmia during a pre-season friendly. He spent over a year in a coma, suffering severe brain damage as a result. Later, an Ajax investigation found that he received 'inadequate' medical treatment on the field. The club continue to pay his medical bills, have retired his jersey, and renamed their Talent of the Future award after the No 10. 'I knew him since he was nine,' says Jongkind. 'He was the embodiment of Ajax, the embodiment of what we were working on, in terms of how we wanted football to be played. It's free, it's like the street, and the most beautiful things can happen with their joy. That's what he was about. We still pay tribute whenever we can. When I go to the gym, I'll always pick locker 34 for my clothes.' Advertisement 'I think you could call him the attraction of Ajax at the time of the Cruyff Plan,' adds Van Leeuwen. 'I remember us playing in the UEFA Youth League against Barcelona and PSG and he was fantastic. He was the super special player on the pitch. There were three to four thousand people at the academy just to watch him. 'You could compare him a little bit with (Andres) Iniesta, maybe (Martin) Odegaard, those types of very skilful, not physically strong players. He didn't even seem to calculate — it was just freestyle. It was very unfortunate what happened. I think his team-mates keep talking about him because they know he was the biggest talent. It's a tragedy for any person — to happen to him is extra, extra pitiful.' By this point, Jongkind and Van Leeuwen had already left Ajax as part of 14 departures from the club. 'Ajax is a political party, not one with one colour but with a few,' says Jongkind. 'There were a lot of people who hadn't wanted Cruyff in — and when he got ill (with the lung cancer from which he eventually died), there was the chance to get rid of him and seize power back. So when some officials tried to force out (academy head) Wim Jonk, because they knew Johan would follow, we decided to be loyal to both of them.' After a spell at Eredivisie club Volendam, the pair are now working with clubs and FAs across Europe as part of the 14THEGAME advisory group, named after Cruyff. Recently, they helped the Greek FA, currently blessed with a talented generation including midfielder Konstantinos Karetsas and striker Charalampos Kostoulas, develop a new national football plan to nurture future generations. Elsewhere, Bodo/Glimt, the club from a tiny coastal town in northern Norway that made a fairytale run to the semi-finals of the Europa League, have taken on many of the academy's lessons. 'They weren't even in the Norwegian first division,' says Van Leeuwen. 'But they visited us almost every month, they'd stay for a few days, and they were interviewing us all the time. It wasn't just the academy manager, it was seven or eight coaches. They implemented lots of the ideas, and look how they've built up this really small club. It's an attacking style of football, with opportunities for young players, who are sold for big profits — they've become the most dominant team in Norway.' Cruyff's legacy spreads over football like falling leaves. His playing career alone places him in the conversation of the greatest European footballer of all time. And then there are his tactics — total football, his pioneering use of the diamond. He is indelibly linked with two clubs, Ajax and Barcelona, as an advisor and administrator, too, helping reform La Masia even before returning to Amsterdam. The current crop of Barcelona academy graduates — Lamine Yamal, Gavi, Pau Cubarsi — would be different players without Cruyff's historic work. Advertisement 'If you ask us the question of where we see Cruyff's legacy, people would expect us to answer in terms of style,' says Van Leeuwen. 'But it's also about a particular vision of talent development — producing special players and getting them first-team minutes. 'Throughout history, particularly at Barcelona and Ajax, the pattern is clear. If those clubs lean into the Cruyffian principles of talent development, the fruit will become visible. As soon as they leave that path and start to splash money, you inevitably see the clubs deteriorate. You have to fight to help the lesson stick.' (Top photos: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)
The Independent
29-06-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Liverpool transfer news: Marc Guehi, Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike and more
Liverpool are bracing for a busy summer to build on this season's Premier League title success. Arne Slot orchestrated a stunning debut campaign at Anfield, inheriting a stacked squad from Jurgen Klopp before taking English football by storm to seal a record-equalling 20th top-flight crown for the club. Mohamed Salah was the posterboy of Slot's title winners, with an eye-watering 46 goal contributions in 37 games taking the Reds out of reach at the top of the table. However, it was in midfield where Liverpool surprised most, with Slot refining a midfield trio brought in by his predecessor and making each one of them an invaluable entity. His transformation of Ryan Gravenberch from a promising yet raw talent to a world-class defensive midfielder was most astounding, with the 23-year-old starting all 34 league games before Liverpool sealed the title against Spurs. The summer months of 2024 hardly shaped the season that followed for Liverpool, and Slot has already proven that he doesn't require overwhelming transfer activity to be successful. Last summer, he saw just two arrivals come through the door in the form of Giorgi Mamardashvili (who was immediately loaned back to Valencia) and Federico Chiesa, who played a total of just 104 minutes in the Premier League. But with Trent Alexander-Arnold heading for the exit and a Premier League title to defend, Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards were expected to engage in a substantial recruitment drive over the coming months. And the early signs are extremely promising for Reds fans, with Jeremy Frimpong having signed from Bayer Leverkusen and Florian Wirtz soon to follow after Liverpool agreed a £116m deal with the German side. Areas to improve As tends to happen with champions, Liverpool are position-for-position the strongest team in the Premier League. But that is not to say they don't have room for improvement. Their first priority will be to address weaknesses - or vacancies - in the full-back roles. Right-back and local lad Alexander-Arnold joined Real Madrid following the expiry of his contract, though it looks like Liverpool have already found their replacement in the form of Frimpong. At left-back, Scottish stalwart Andy Robertson has looked shaky and could be set for a drop down the pecking order. Robertson, once the world's best in his position, has been something of a liability this term, and he has been attracting attention from Atletico Madrid. Deputy Kostas Tsimikas could also be on the chopping block, further emphasising the need for reinforcements. A younger, Premier League-proven replacement appears to be desired, with Milos Kerkez of Bournemouth seemingly set for a move worth around £45m. Further depth in midfield could also be required if Slot is to successfully defend his title. The futures of Darwin Nunez, Federico Chiesa, Diogo Jota and more recently Harvey Elliott have been up in the air, which could lead to Liverpool investing in more forward-thinking options this summer. Done deals Outs: Caoimhin Kelleher (Brentford, £18m), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid, £10m), Nat Phillips (West Brom, £3m), Vitezslav Jaros (Ajax, loan transfer), Harvey Davies (Crawley Town, loan transfer) Potential targets Alexander Isak, Newcastle With much of the rest of the squad seemingly in top shape ahead of 2025/26, Liverpool continue to be linked with a range of strikers. Alexander Isak has been touted as the club's 'dream' target, though with Newcastle having qualified for the Champions League it is seen as unlikely that they let their star player leave. Nevertheless, Reds fans can hope – Isak has transformed into one of the best strikers in world football in recent months, and his signature would certainly make Liverpool favourites for back-to-back league titles (and probably a European Cup to add to it). Marc Guehi, Crystal Palace With Jarell Quansah on his way out, Virgil van Dijk ageing and Ibrahima Konate entering the final year of his contract, Liverpool appear willing to splash the cash on a proven Premier League centre-back for the future in Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi. The England international has stamped his mark as one of the best in the division in recent seasons and despite being continually linked with a switch to Chelsea and Tottenham over the past year or two, it now appears that a move up north is increasingly likely. That said, Liverpool will reportedly only intensify their pursuits if Palace budge on their £70m asking price. Hugo Ekitike, Eintracht Frankfurt This is seen as a somewhat more realistic signing for Liverpool, with the Frankfurt striker supposedly allowed to leave for around €100m. While Liverpool would be unlikely to spend that amount on the 22-year-old given his experience, some reports suggest that he could be available for something closer to £65m. Though Chelsea and Manchester United are also interested, it is assumed that the Reds would be able to convince Ekitike of the obvious merits of choosing Anfield over Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford. The young Frenchman has scored 22 goals in all competitions for the German side this season, and is widely seen as ready to take the step up to a top side. Angelo Stiller, Stuttgart Liverpool have found joy when fishing at the Stuttgart well for defensive midfielders before. They will hope highly-rated German star Stiller, 24, will follow in Wataru Endo's suit and swap the MHP Arena for Merseyside. The former Bayern Munich prospect has been at the heart of their midfield for the past two seasons and helped Stuttgart qualify for the Champions League in 2023/24. Julian Alvarez, Atletico Madrid An outside shout is ex-Manchester City forward Alvarez, who proved his worth as a top talent at the Etihad. He has taken off since he ditched being second fiddle to Erling Haaland, having enjoyed an impressive year since his £82m switch to Atletico Madrid last summer, scoring 29 goals and providing six assists in all competitions. His form may have peaked the interest of Liverpool, who are in the market for forward reinforcements. Darwin Nunez plus cash swap deal, perhaps?
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mo Salah hands Arne Slot NEW issue to solve
Liverpool are well on their way to something special, given their bravado in the transfer market. High quality players are being brought in to supplement the Premier League title winners in the dressing room. The Reds will once again be a serious force to be reckoned with next season. Advertisement Retaining the title is the aim and the club's activity signifies the sort of intent that we haven't seen before. This summer will be the first transfer window where we will have spent over £200m. But with change's in the team come the possibility for the side to be disjointed compared to the compact unit that Liverpool were running with last season. A weakness has already been identified. © IMAGO Liverpool ALREADY have a problem to solve for next season In addition to Ryan Gravenberch missing the opening game of the season due to a red card he received in the last game of the 2024/25 campaign, Liverpool have another issue to address. Advertisement Mohamed Salah will be going to the African Cup Of Nations (AfCON) this year, which takes place between December 21, 2025 and January 18, 2026, which is mid-way through the Premier League. The competition happens once every two years and Liverpool fans will be well accustomed to the stress of seeing the Egyptian play for his country, hoping he doesn't get injured during the games. But alongside that, his absence creates a significant headache for the Reds to solve. Salah's constant availability makes him one of our most reliable players, and as such, he plays in almost every game he can. Liverpool's reliance on him, however, becomes a real problem in these seasons. The last time we had to deal with Salah's absence was the 2023/24 campaign, when the tournament was based predominantly in January, and he suffered a slight injury which set back his return. Advertisement In that period, Liverpool made it through to a Carabao Cup final after beating Fulham over two legs, they beat Arsenal and Norwich to progress through the third and fourth round of the FA Cup, and only three points were dropped from 12 available in the Premier League. The team scrambled hard. This time around, Liverpool will have to come up with other solutions to their problem. The guy they'll be missing is literally the current golden boot and playmaker winner, and the player of the season. During the group stage of this year's edition of the tournament, he will miss Tottenham (A), Wolves (H) and Leeds United (H), although progress to the final would mean he would also miss Fulham (A), Arsenal (A) and Burnley (H) before he could return to Merseyside and be re-embedded into the team. Nonetheless, Liverpool will have been aware of this likelihood for some time, it's the specific fixtures he'll be missing that make up the real update here, although finding a way to succeed without Salah is going to be a real test for Arne Slot throughout this upcoming campaign. Let's see how it unfolds.
