Bayern chief explains why they let Gravenberch join Liverpool despite Palhinha transfer collapse
Bayern Munich CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen has outlined why the club sanctioned the sale of Ryan Gravenberch to Liverpool despite failing to bring in a direct replacement.On Friday night, the Reds confirmed the signing of the Dutchman in a £34m deal (BBC Sport), which came just hours after the Bundesliga champions saw their pursuit of Joao Palhinha […]
The post Bayern chief explains why they let Gravenberch join Liverpool despite Palhinha transfer collapse appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.
Bayern Munich CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen has outlined why the club sanctioned the sale of Ryan Gravenberch to Liverpool despite failing to bring in a direct replacement.
On Friday night, the Reds confirmed the signing of the Dutchman in a £34m deal (BBC Sport), which came just hours after the Bundesliga champions saw their pursuit of Joao Palhinha collapse due to Fulham pulling the plug amid their frantic search for a midfielder (ESPN).
It leaves the Bavarian outfit with extra money in the bank but with one fewer option in Thomas Tuchel’s squad, although the decision to let the 21-year-old move to Merseyside seemed to be mutual and amicable.
Speaking about Gravenberch’s exit, Dreesen told Bayern’s official website: “He came to us with the desire for more consistent playing time, so we decided on this transfer together with him. We wish him all the best for his future at Liverpool.”
Although Bayern had been eager to keep hold of Gravenberch earlier in the summer, their stance seemed to change once the player made known his desire to leave the Allianz Arena in search of more regular game-time.
Having made only three league starts in just over a year at the club (WhoScored), it’s not hard to see why the Dutchman had been pining for a fresh start elsewhere, with neither Tuchel nor his predecessor Julian Nagelsmann affording the 21-year-old many opportunities to prove himself in Munich.
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The Bavarian hierarchy evidently decided that there was no point in keeping a player who wanted out, particularly when the club were so fervently chasing a new signing of their own in Palhinha, only for the clock to run out on them in that pursuit.
While the various developments of a manic Friday left Bayern a man light, Liverpool eventually got their main objective completed in securing Gravenberch’s signature less than 90 minutes before the 11pm deadline.
Thankfully the player’s exit from Munich seemed to be handled cordially at the end, which surely will have helped with facilitating the eventual transfer to Merseyside.
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The post Bayern chief explains why they let Gravenberch join Liverpool despite Palhinha transfer collapse appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.