In the summer of 2022, Ryan Gravenberch moved to FC Bayern with much praise in advance. At the time, the young Dutchman was considered one of the most promising midfield talents in Europe. Looking at the past few months, however, the 20-year-old has failed to live up to the high expectations. Gravenberch has hardly received any playing time under Julian Nagelsmann and has repeatedly struggled with his reserve role in the past. The youngster has now made it clear that if his situation does not change in the near future, he is ready to leave the record champion prematurely.
Gravenberch has played 26 games (1 goal, 1 assist) for Bayern this season. At first glance, this sounds like a decent number of appearances. The problem: on average, the Dutchman has only been on the pitch for 27 minutes. Gravenberch is a substitute player in Munich, a role he doesn’t really like: „I had definitely hoped and expected to play more at FC Bayern. So far it hasn’t gone as expected,“ he told the portal „Ajax Showtime“.
„I would rather be successful at Bayern“
In winter, there were numerous reports that Gravenberch could leave Bayern. Liverpool FC have been rumoured to be interested for some time. According to the midfielder, he is not really thinking about his sporting future at the moment.
However, the 20-year-old does not rule out a departure in the summer: „It’s a pity for me, but I’m fine with it. I would rather be successful at Bayern. But if that doesn’t work out and I don’t get any chances, then maybe I should look elsewhere.“
Gravenberch is said to have fallen out of favour with Julian Nagelsmann due to his defensive frailties. It will be exciting to see how the midfielder does under new coach Thomas Tuchel. According to reports, the Bayern bosses do not want to let Gravenberch go at the end of the season, as they are still convinced of him.
It is nevertheless clear that should Tuchel also give the thumbs down, those responsible will inevitably have to deal with this issue. Especially since Konrad Laimer, a new midfielder, is expected to arrive at the Isar next summer and the competition will increase significantly.
