Liverpool Finally Sign Virgil Van Dijk – Everything You Need To Know About Him
The Virgil Van Dijk saga seems to have finally come to an end as Liverpool have reportedly signed him for a record-breaking £75million and the player will make an official move in January. The defender is understood to have undergone a medical test with the Merseyside club and Jurgen Klopp is happy to have landed his man.
The Reds were more or less the first club to start targeting him during the summer but Southampton refused to sell him to them since the Reds used illegal ways to approach him. Although Liverpool issued an apology later, Van Dijk attracted attention from the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City and it almost seemed like either of the two would sign him in January.
Yet, Liverpool fans rejoiced at having received a late Christmas present. This season, the Reds have been lethal in terms of attack but their shoddy defence cost them a lot of points. With Van Dijk on board, however, a lot of things can change in that regard for the second half of the season.
Klopp does have a few options for the central defence area and Joel Matip was strong enough. But he was massively let down by the likes of Ragnar Klavan and Dejan Lovren. The duo has put up encouraging displays but that will not be enough. Hence, landing Van Dijk is a great move.
Van Dijk established himself as a promising young central defender at Celtic. He spent two seasons with the Scottish giants and won the league title on both occasions. Moreover, he was also included in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year in both seasons and he also picked up the prestigious Scottish League Cup with Celtic. By then, the word of his growth and development made way to the Premier League and he joined Southampton in 2015.
Having signed a five-year contract with the Saints, Van Dijk rose to greater heights at the club. He can contribute to the attack, defend admirably with some well-timed tackles and interceptions, and is also quite adept in the air. This is the main reason why Klopp was so keen on him because Liverpool have often struggled in set-piece situations. The Dutchman is something of a set-piece specialist. He played his last match for Southampton in a 4-1 defeat against Leicester City recently and is understood to be excited to begin life anew at Anfield.
Also, he is an out-and-out ball-playing centre-back, which is likely to come as a major advantage for Klopp’s side. Having captained Southampton after the departure of Jose Fonte, the player also has leadership skills and it will be interesting to see how he fares for Liverpool.