Forget about a No.6 signing: Forgotten Liverpool man could challenge Ryan Gravenberch – opinion

Liverpool will head into the remainder of the campaign with Ryan Gravenberch as their primary option for the No.6 role.

The departure of Stefan Bajcetic on loan to RB Salzburg will have understandably left sections of the fanbase concerned over the level of depth available for the position.

However, the fact the Reds retained Tyler Morton – despite interest from Bayer Leverkusen – is well worth noting judging by stats shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Bence Bocsak.

Last season as per @CIES_Football Tyler Morton was one of the best press-resistant U21 midfielders in world football.

He had ball retention under high pressure rate of 86.9%.

Only Gavi (87.1%) and Zaïre-Emery (87.1%) ranked higher. #LFC should have signed a no.6 in my… pic.twitter.com/1s5IYgugtL

— Bence Bocsák (@BenBocsak) August 31, 2024

The former Hull City loanee recorded seriously impressive press-resistant numbers last term.

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The Merseysiders did come close to landing Martin Zubimendi in the window, though Real Sociedad’s charm offensive won out in the end.

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What do the stats say about Tyler Morton?

Whilst there may be some slight concern over the 21-year-old’s pass completion rate (85.4% per 90, as per FBref), it’s worth noting that he’s currently more competent in that area, statistically, than the likes of Ryan Gravenberch (83.4%) and Dominik Szoboszlai (83.5%).

Likewise, Morton has proven more than reliable in holding on to the ball, being rarely dispossessed (0.62 dispossessions per 90). As a frame of reference, Zubimendi averages a dispossession rate of 0.48.

Whether the Englishman can maintain these figures in a division of the Premier League’s quality, of course, remains to be seen.

Nonetheless, it’s reassuring that Liverpool appear to possess some potentially decent cover in the ranks despite failing to land a new No.6 in the window.

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