Liverpool have a 17-year-old talent who could save Arne Slot millions next season - opinion
03/19/2025 03:00 PM
Liverpool will enter the summer transfer market in search of a new midfielder.
The area of the pitch has been one Arne Slot looked to strengthen within the first few weeks of his arrival as Liverpool tried to bring Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi to Anfield, only for the Spaniard to opt to remain in La Liga for another season.
This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Ryan Gravenberch has improved massively under Slot according to Jamie Carragher after the Dutch coach converted the 22-year-old into a number-six.
This is likely to have changed Liverpool’s plans when it comes to recruiting for this position as the Merseyside club may now opt to bring in a midfielder who can pay in multiple roles.
Slot could also look towards some youngsters at Liverpool as one 17-year-old has already impressed the Dutch coach since his arrival.
Trey Nyoni ready to step up for Liverpool
With the Euros and Copa America happening last summer, Slot did not get all his Liverpool squad back until the end of pre-season.
This allowed the Dutch coach to get a glimpse of some young stars such as Trey Nyoni, who travelled with the senior team on their pre-season tour of the United States and scored in a friendly win over Sevilla at Anfield.
Slot has continued to show faith in the 17-year-old as the youngster has featured five times for Liverpool throughout the current campaign with Nyoni’s performance against Southampton in the Carabao Cup impressing fans.
The English talent is naturally a centre midfielder who likes to get forward but just like Slot did with Gravenberch, the 17-year-old has the attributes to be converted in a number six to provide cover for the Dutch star, while also being used further up the pitch.
Nyoni has been training with the senior squad at Liverpool for a while now and will have learned a lot from the big names within Slot’s squad.
Liverpool did not want to let Nyoni go out on loan in January, therefore, they need to progress him throughout the 2025/26 campaign.
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Ryan Gravenberch’s form is a concern for Liverpool
Gravenberch has been one of Slot’s biggest success stories at Anfield this season, however, the Dutch star has been off the pace in recent weeks.
Fans of the Reds have been concerned with how much the 22-year-old has played as the midfielder has racked up 3516 minutes of action – the third most in the Liverpool squad.
This is clearly having an impact on Gravenberch at present as Slot does not seem to trust the likes of Wataru Endo to step up in big games to help the former Ajax star get some rest.
This is where Nyoni can come in next season. The 17-year-old is still too young to be playing regularly for the Liverpool first team, however, the youngster is good enough for minutes here and there, while starting often in the domestic cup competitions.
