KEVIN KILBANE ON THE SWITCH EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT
It’s not something that will play on his mind, though
WHEN Virgil van Dijk joined Southampton from Celtic for £13 million two years ago, no one in their right mind could have envisaged he would soon be signing for Liverpool for £75 million.
It is a ridiculous fee for a centreback. But, then, are we saying that Neymar is worth four Virgil van Dijks? It is just crazy money.
The vast amounts of money swashing around in the Premier League and Europe now, thanks to the new TV deals, was bound to have an impact on clubs’ spending.
Of course £75 million for a central defender is far too much but the fee is almost irrelevant because the market is so out of control.
We can all have our minds boggled by the figures but the fee affects Van Dijk the most. And he gives me the impression, with the carefree attitude he plays with, that he can deal with it.
It can be no coincidence that Van Dijk has not exactly been in great form this season since the original move broke down, but he clearly had his sights set on a move to Anfield.
And Liverpool supporters don’t care how much he costs. They just hope he is worth the wait.
His move to Liverpool has been on the cards since the summer and while Southampton managed to hold firm back then, they clearly felt the deal needed to be done now.
Despite interest from Manchester City and Chelsea, Van Dijk has set his sights on Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp has clearly worked his magic to land his man and sold the club, and himself, to the player.
There is no doubt Liverpool need him. Neil Lennon was Van Dijk’s manager at Celtic and he said the Dutchman has everything. He is quick, dangerous in both boxes, brilliant in one-on-one situations and a superb passer of the ball.
Klopp’s team defend with a high line, so, like it or not, the centrebacks will be isolated and get turned. They play a different way to the Sami Hyypia/Jamie Carragher partnership with the fullbacks sitting deep to protect them.
Liverpool are one of the most dangerous attacking teams in Europe, but they are always exposed at the back and Van Dijk is a centre-half who can play that role for Klopp.
Yet for all that money, like any signing, the Dutchman is still a gamble. He is now the most expen- sive defender in the world but that is no guarantee he will settle into the Liverpool team. Will he be a Dejan Lovren who has struggled to cope with the move to a big club? Or Sadio Mane who has taken his game to the next level?
Van Dijk’s unexpected pre-January announcement gave Jose Mourinho more ammunition for his argument that clubs are paying too much for defenders. Or at least his rivals are.
It is hard to have any sympathy for a Manchester United manager, backed by one of the largest wage bills in world football, who spent £300 million in a year.
He targeted Romelu Lukaku, Paul Pogba, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Victor Lindelof and made the final decision to sign them. Two of his best and most effective players are Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard who came through the youth system.
Pep Guardiola has spent better and he is working better with his players. Yes, he spent a lot of money on the positions he needed to strengthen, but he spent well. The keeper is phenomenal and before his injury Benjamin Mendy was one of the signings of the summer. But the difference is that the Guardiola players inherited are flourishing under him. Look through the team. Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Fernandinho are all in the best form of their careers. City are just wonderful to watch. And we can add to that list Alexis Sanchez because it appears a case of when – not if – the Chilean will be Guardiola’s league leaders at the Etihad. They have the money to sign him now, but he will be free in the summer and with the Premier League won, what’s the point of giving £35 million to Arsenal when you can give it to the player?
Like Sanchez, Mesut Ozil is also out of contract in the summer and you have to wonder how Arsenal have allowed this to happen when it was identified as an issue so long ago.
Arsene Wenger has said that January is not a time for major business but he has to have those two players in his dressing room if Arsenal are to continue their challenge for a top-four finish.