and#8216;Best No.6 in the leagueand#8217; and#8211; Jermaine Pennant hails Liverpool star outshining Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo
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Ryan Gravenberch is the best defensive midfielder in the Premier League right now, ahead of both Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo.
That is the view of former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant, who has hailed the Dutchman after he helped to continue the Reds' perfect start to the season in a 2-1 win over Everton.
Jermaine Pennant hails Liverpool star outperforming Declan Rice and Caicedo
Gravenberch opened the scoring at Anfield with an excellent half-volley in the first half, before turning creator for Hugo Ekitike.
In doing so, the 23-year-old became the youngest Liverpool player in the Premier League era to both score and assist in the same Merseyside derby.
This saw the Reds keep up their 100 per cent league record, as Arne Slot's men sit top of the table with five wins from a possible five.
Having played a starring role as Liverpool stormed to the title last year, Gravenberch has since taken his game to another level.
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Barring suspension in the opening game against Bournemouth, he has played every minute of their other five games this term, contributing two goals and two assists.
Gravenberch has already equalled his tally for the whole of the 2023/24 campaign, where he provided four league assists in 49 games in all competitions and scored no goals.
Being in and around the box is not his game, though, and his displays last season earned him the Premier League's Young Player of the Year award and a place in the PFA Team of the Year.
And Gravenberch's blistering start to 2025/26 has earned him plenty of plaudits, including former Red and Champions League finalist Pennant, who singled the Dutchman out for high praise.
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Speaking on talkSPORT's Inside Liverpool podcast, Pennant said: “He's making a claim for being the greatest at the moment in the Premier League in that role, based on the performances that he's shown so far.
“I think whatever Slot has done or said to him needs to be analysed because he's got a totally different tune than [Jurgen] Klopp did."
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Gravenberch scored a stunner to help Liverpool to Merseyside derby victory over Everton and has been one of the Reds' outstanding players under Arne SlotCredit: Getty
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Gravenberch started 37 out of 38 league matches last season, as Liverpool were crowned championsCredit: AFP
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Declan Rice is widely regarded as one of the best central midfielders in the worldCredit: Getty
Signed by Klopp from Bayern Munich for £34million (€40m) in 2023, Gravenberch initially played a back-up role in the German's midfield rotation, with Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Curtis Jones, Wataru Endo and Harvey Elliott all making more starts across all competitions.
The Netherlands international arrived in a transfer window that saw several leading defensive midfielders move for big fees.
In the same summer, Arsenal signed Declan Rice in a club-record £105m deal, while Moises Caicedo - who Liverpool also pursued - joined Chelsea for a fee rising to £115m.
Despite this, Pennant believes Gravenberch's performances under Slot are currently eclipsing all of his more-expensive rivals.
He continued: “And you look at the price tag, let's talk about that.
We paid €40million (£34m).
“And if you look at the players in the league in that position - Declan Rice - £105m, Enzo Fernandez - £115m.
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Moises Caicedo has justified his price tag at Chelsea, and helped them to Club World Cup glory in JulyCredit: Getty
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But Pennant believes there is currently no one better than Gravenberch in this position
“Jude Bellingham, I know, is a number 10 but he's [worth] £100m or so and Caicedo, obviously ironic we wanted Caicedo - £115m.”
Explaining his point, Pennant hailed Slot for getting the best out of Gravenberch since his appointment on Merseyside in June 2024,
He continued: “So getting him at €40m and for him to at the moment be outshining all of those players under Slot's regime.
“I don't know whatever [Slot has said].
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"And we're just seeing this fantastic player, it's unbelievable.
"And at this moment in time, he's playing like the best number six in the league.”
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Gravenberch has been the real deal in the Premier League this season