Virgil van Dijk has once again been at the centre of the ongoing transfer rumours, with the Dutchman reportedly saying he is keen on a move to Premier League rivals Liverpool.
There had been talk of a fee in excess of £50 million being discussed between the two sides, however news emerged today that Southampton are set to report Liverpool to Premier League officials to investigate any breach of rules about the potential transfer.
Southampton dearly want to hold on to Van Dijk, who is a key player at St Mary’s, and will hopefully do as much as possible to retain him. But with Saints, anything is possible.
Van Dijk will know that going to Liverpool will be a slippery slope and his career could go either way. Saints have history with Liverpool, with the Anfield side seemingly becoming the recipient of Saints’ selling ways for any talent produced on the South Coast. And with the way things have turned out in the past for ex-Saints players, this could be a risky move.
Obviously Liverpool have earned Champions League football, which is what any player wants, and Van Dijk deserves to play at a much higher level due to his sheer quality that he shows week in, week out. But he only has to look as far as Rickie Lambert and Dejan Lovren, who both went to Liverpool having been a vital piece in the Southampton puzzle the previous season. It’s fair to say they haven’t had the best experience there.
Lambert stayed for a season, had his moments, and then was shipped out to West Brom, before going to Cardiff where he now sits on the bench. Dejan Lovren has come under scrutiny at Anfield, with several dodgy performances putting him in the limelight – and Van Dijk could potentially replace him.
So, there is a risk that he could go to the Merseyside club and flop, with a big price tag on the weight of his shoulders putting pressure on him to deliver, which would be very much undeserved for a player of his calibre.
On the other hand, he could shine. Nathaniel Clyne, Adam Lallana and Sadio Mane have all become key players at Anfield after earning themselves moves to the Reds where they have had a run of games, and in Mane’s case, excelled. Liverpool seem reliant on Mane, with their form when he was injured being poor. Clyne and Lallana have both been regulars in Jurgen Klopp’s side, however their performances have been similar to that of when they were at St Mary’s.
If Virgil stays, he will get game time every week, captain a Saints side looking to re-establish themselves on the European scene, and quickly turn into a fans favourite on the South Coast.
But if he does decide to leave, then he fully deserves to be playing in the Champions League and at a high level, however there is always a risk things could turn sour for him, like it did for Lovren and Lambert.
Seeing so many Southampton stars leave for Liverpool is a frustrating sight for every Saints fan far and wide, especially that Chelsea and Manchester City are also in this race for Van Dijk, who both offer the same competitions football-wise. I’m sure who supporters would prefer to be the destination for the Saints captain.
This could potentially be another stressful summer for Saints, and we will have to brace ourselves for the inevitable.
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