When Celtic sold Virgil van Dijk to Southampton back in September of 2015, quite a lot of people let it slip under the radar, possibly to the usual doubts over a Scottish Premier League player cutting it at the English elite level.
Van Dijk’s recent success at Southampton however has meant the big centre half has become hot property among those vying for the Premier League crown. Van Dijk has been rumored to be a target for many luminaries as Manchester United, but it’s always been rumored more likely that the Dutch international center back could be heading to Anfield. Here are reasons why the Anfield club must sign Virgil.
Liverpool must sign Virgil van Dijk so that they can steal a march on their rivals.
If Liverpool were to allow van Dijk to sign with Manchester United or Chelsea, for example, they would be allowing one of their direct rivals to strengthen their side even further. Liverpool can ill afford for this to happen right now, and must lay down a marker with his signing.
Liverpool also need to be looking toward the future.
With van Dijk in defence, Liverpool would be set for the present and the future as he is only 25 years old. Ragnar Klavan has proven to be a steady option, and Dejan Lovren has his moments, but a partnership between Matip and van Dijk could be Liverpool’s new Carragher-Hyypia. This is something that Liverpool can’t afford to pass up.
Van Dijk is simply one of the league’s very best center backs.
Let’s look at a few stats that show how great he has been. Southampton have scored a paltry total of ten goals in their ten home matches so far this season. This sum is the third lowest sum in the league. But van Dijk and his fellow defenders have still earned a number of points from their home matches because they have been able to keep a total of seven clean sheets so far this season.
Another look at stats shows that van Dijk would be great for Klopp because of his lack of injuries this season. Virgil only trails his goalkeeper Fraser Forster in minutes played, which shows he is capable of sustaining himself through all of the bumps and bruises during a season. Perhaps this is the biggest factor that should make Liverpool want him!
Virgil van Dijk has shown an ability to defend well, pass the ball cleverly, defend and attack the aerial ball, and even make forward runs at times. As such, he looks like he’d be a great fit in a squad that is manager by Jurgen Klopp. These are the reasons Liverpool must do everything they can to sign Virgil van Dijk before someone else does.