Liverpool were knocked out of the Champions League on Tuesday night after they were beaten by Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain on penalties in the last 16.
The Reds, who had won 1-0 in Paris last week, were beaten 1-0 in normal time, thanks to a goal from Ousmane Dembele, before losing on spot-kicks.
Italy international Gianluigi Donnarumma, who is no stranger to being a penalty hero on these shores, stepped up to prevent both Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones from scoring.
Nunez and Jones will get criticism for their misses but there were several individuals who failed to perform during the match, including Dutch midfielder Ryan Gravenberch.
The Netherlands international completed zero of his two attempted dribbles and lost 70% (7/10) of his ground duels on the night, which shows that he was too easy for the PSG midfield to play against.
The plan for this season may not have always been for him to be the first-choice holding midfielder, however, as there was well-publicised interest in Martin Zubimendi in the previous summer transfer window.
Liverpool's interest in Martin Zubimendi
Liverpool were interested in a deal to bring the Spain international to Anfield ahead of the 2025/26 campaign to bolster their options in the number six position.
Sky Sports reported that the impressive midfielder, who won the European Championship with Spain last summer, was expected to move on from Real Sociedad before the end of the window, due to a £51m release clause that was in his contract at the time.
The outlet added, however, that Zubimendi turned down the chance to make the move to England after his club offered him a new contract on higher wages, which convinced him to remain with the LaLiga outfit.
This meant that Liverpool missed out on a deal to bring the defensive midfielder to Merseyside, and they did not opt to find an alternative before the end of the window – going with Gravenberch and Wataru Endo as their number six options.
Earlier this year, Arne Slot all-but-confirmed the club’s interest in the Spaniard when speaking about his midfield composition, saying: “I even think the player we wanted to bring in [Zubimendi] – I think that’s pretty much out in the open now – he was also a player who was really comfortable. He’s still a player who could bring the ball from the last line to our forwards.”
Despite his poor showing against PSG on Tuesday night, Gravenberch’s form for the club this season may have alleviated any concerns about the failure to bring Zubimendi to Anfield in the summer, as he has been a fantastic performer at the base of the midfield.
Ryan Gravenberch's form compared to Martin Zubimendi
The Netherlands international has started 29 times in the Premier League this season, which shows that he has emerged as a consistent starter under Slot as the holding midfielder.
In The Pipeline
Gravenberch has offered a dominant presence in midfield, winning 56% of his ground duels and 72% of his aerial contests, whilst Zubimendi has won 56% of his ground duels and 66% of his aerial battles in 26 LaLiga matches this season.
This shows that they are both holding midfielders who can dominate opposition players on the ground and in the air, screening in front of their back four.
As you can see in the chart above, Zubimendi and Gravenberch excel in similar areas of the game, as they both offer little as goalscorers or creators but thrive defensively and in their passing game.
However, the chart does also show that the Spaniard offers more per 90 from a defensive perspective than the Dutchman, which suggests that he could offer slightly more when it comes to breaking up attacks and clearing danger.
Liverpool, though, may have their own version of Zubimendi brewing in a young star who is currently out on loan away from Anfield, in 20-year-old starlet Stefan Bajcetic.
Why Stefan Bajcetic could be Slot's own Zubimendi
The Spain U21 international, who has played 22 times for Liverpool’s first-team, is currently on loan at Las Palmas in LaLiga and is a player with the potential to be the perfect modern day number six in the future.
Whilst he may not have been 100% ready to step into Slot’s starting line-up this season, hence his loan moves to RB Salzburg and Las Palmas, Bajcetic could be a future star for the Reds and save the club millions on signing another holding midfielder.
The Spanish starlet could return to Anfield in the summer and compete for a place in the team in pre-season, allowing Slot to save the board millions by unleashing him as competition for Gravenberch – rather than attempting to go back in for Zubimendi.
Bajcetic, who stands at 6 foot 1, is a towering, yet slim-built, number six who can cover ground to make defensive interventions, whilst also providing quality in possession with his use of the ball, as explained by ‘Serbian Football Scout’ on X back in 2023.
He has made six appearances in LaLiga since his move to Las Palmas in January and averaged 3.1 tackles and interceptions per game, as well as 2.7 clearances per match, whilst Zubimendi has made 3.4 tackles and interceptions and 2.1 clearances per match in the division.
This suggests that Bajcetic, who was once dubbed “special” by writer Zubin Daver, can offer similar qualities in the number six position from a defensive perspective, as he has performed to a similar level in that area in LaLiga.
Of course, there is still much to learn for him at the age of 20 and his use of the ball could still do with improvement. He completed 82% of his passes in the Bundesliga with Salzburg, but that has dropped to 72% in LaLiga with Las Palmas.
However, Bajcetic has other qualities on the ball that go beyond his pass completion rate, as was showcased during his spell in the Liverpool first-team in the 2022/23 campaign.
Pass accuracy
77.5%
Bottom 30%
Progressive carries
1.71
Top 35%
Successful take-ons
1.20
Top 24%
Passes into the penalty area
1.20
Top 26%
Crosses into the penalty area
0.17
Top 38%
As you can see in the table above, the teenager may not have been efficient with his passes, but he offered plenty of quality by driving forward with the ball and trying to make things happen in the opposition’s box.
At the age of 20, there is still plenty for Bajcetic to learn and he may not immediately step into the starting XI next season. However, there are plenty of promising signs from the youngster, who could develop into Slot’s own version of Zubimendi, saving the club millions in the process.
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