Virgil van Dijk Should Be A Priority Target For Liverpool

• publish in 2017-22-07..

Liverpool have spent close to £100 million on Southampton players in the past few years, so suggesting that they need to buy another might sound absurd…

But having come away with just a point from their trip to St Mary’s on Saturday, there’s another player who’s been impressing for The Saints who would add another key piece to Jurgen Klopp’s increasingly impressive looking puzzle — Dutch centre back, Virgil Van Dijk.

Liverpool should have signed Van Dijk from Celtic, just as they should have signed Sadio Mane from Red Bull Salzburg. Both players were on the transfer committee’s radar prior to moving to the Premier League, but the club preferred to bide their time. In a competitive market where TV money flows like wine at a wedding, biding time invariably costs money.

Under Klopp, however, things have changed. The transfer committee still exist (all clubs have them but Liverpool decided to give theirs a name), but Klopp now uses his own eyes as well as recommendations from his coaching staff before going to the scouts and analysts for the all-important data.

Recruitment at Liverpool is now a harmonious two-way street, rather than a battle between manager and transfer committee as it was under Brendan Rodgers.


Even at a cost of £30m, Mane looks like a bargain (even though it took the club a while to take the plunge), while getting centre back Joel Matip on a free transfer could turn out to be the best bit of business this season. The problem Liverpool face now is that there’s no one of quality to play alongside Matip, despite the best efforts of an improved Dejan Lovren. Mamadou Sakho has been banished to the U23 squad following his supposedly disruptive antics in pre-season, Ragnar Klavan is seen as a backup player, and though Joe Gomez could emerge as a star in the position further down the line, his rise has been delayed by a serious knee injury.

The left side of Liverpool’s defence is the area of the team which needs patching up, and placing Van Dijk in the spot next to Matip would create one of the best defensive pairings in the Premier League. Both possess the physicality to compete in a league which still provides a test of strength and courage despite changes in the playing styles of many teams during the past decade.

They stand at over 190 cm, or six foot two in old money, making them useful in the air in both boxes and at set pieces.

Van Dijk showed on Saturday that he’s also quick across the ground, keeping pace with the considerable speed of Mane to put in a highlight-reel tackle when the Senegalese managed to break through the defensive line.

The obligatory good feet for a big man is in evidence too, and the Dutch international has also played over 30 games in European competition. With Liverpool likely to qualify for at least the Europa League next season, this experience will be handy. At the age of 25, Van Dijk is reaching is peak years as a centre back, and if Liverpool don’t snap him up soon, someone else will. He’s had a good overall understanding of the game since his days as a youth at FC Groningen, and this has stood him in good stead as he worked in improving his fitness, strength, and stamina.

The extra application away from the pitch is one of the main factors behind him ending up in the Premier League, as defenders who are knocked off the ball easily can find the going tough against some of the more robust strikers the league has to offer. It will be an advantage at international level too, where versatility can be key due to the varying strengths and styles of the opponents. He has 12 caps to his name, which may not seem like many for a 25-year-old who’s always showed great promise, but the perennially underachieving Dutch side will stand a better chance of winning a tournament with the Breda born defender keeping the opposition at bay.

This combination of professionalism, defensive nous, and footballing ability could see Van Dijk reach the very top of the game, and Liverpool will hope he can board the Klopp revolution to achieve this with them. If he can’t, then it wouldn’t be a surprise to see one of the Spanish giants come knocking on his agent’s door at some point in the near future.

If Liverpool are to complete Klopp’s puzzle, or at least add a piece which fits more snugly than the ones they currently have, then a move for Van Dijk, sooner rather than later, is a must.


QUESTION:  
                    Who wants to see him at anfield this season?