x

Van Dijk Linked With Liverpool ! But How Much Truth In The Rumour ?

There is no surprise that Virgil Van Dijk is linked with a move to Liverpool, after all we are no strangers to their bank account details, but just how much water does this latest rumour hold.

There are perhaps two reasons why Virgil Van Dijk is being linked with a move to Anfield, the first is that Liverpool have seemingly attempted to sign everyone from our star players down to the St Mary's tea lady in the past couple of years.

The second is that Virgil Van Dijk is one of the best central defenders in the Premier League and makes their sorry looking pairing in the centre of defence amateurs in comparison.

When Liverpool signed Dejan Lovren I wondered what they were doing, although Lovren was a quality central defender in the old fashioned big stopper sense, he wasn't the type of cultured ball playing defender that Liverpool had become known for.

Van Dijk is however and not only is he a better defender than Lovren but he can play the ball from the back and carry it forward in what would be described as the Liverpool way.

Therefore whilst it was a surprise that Jurgen Klopp did not stengthen the heart of his defence back in the summer, it is not a shock that he is considering doing so in January and that he will take the easy option and head for the tree overlooking Staplewood like his predecessor before him.

But how much water does this rumour hold ?

I would say that there is little actual concrete evidence, it appears to have started from Scouser and former Pompey striker Micky Quinn talking on the radio station TalkSport.

Quinn although hailing from Merseyside has no real connection with Liverpool FC and his daytime job is as a racehorse trainer based in Suffolk although he supplements that income by a bit of presenting for Talk Sport and a bit of scouting for Wigan Athletic, although he hasn't had a full time job in football for over 20 years.

As most will know TalkSport built itself up as The Sun of the airwaves, no surprise as its owner was former Sun editor Kelvin McKenzie, the man responsible for the papers awful coverage in the days after Hillsborough.

That perhaps tells those unfamiliar with the station that it specialises in sensationalist headline quotes, Quinn whilst appearing on the station, something he has done for many years knows what is required and that he needs to be providing a bit of spicy gossip.

In fairness to Quinn, it would not be hard to find someone who would have told him that Liverpool were after VVW, after all you have Liverpool who could have a chance of winning the title but with a very suspect defence and one of the most highly rated central defenders, it is not rocket science.

But as we know as transfer windows approach, the media with little else to talk about go into a frenzy looking for headlines, after all it was only days ago that some papers were claiming that Liverpool were willing to put their title winning hopes in the hands of Sam McQueen after making only one start for Saints in the Premier League.

So although I am worried about Virgil Van Dijk's long term career at Saints given his quality, I do not pay much attention to this rumour, yes Liverpool might be planning a bid for Van Dijk, but football clubs keep transfer dealings secret, they do not tell part time football pundits like Quinn and enable the opposition to get word of it and at best pus up the price and at worst scupper the deal.

I also have faith in Ralph Krueger, Saints have a plan when it comes to transfers and every player has a price, but the club tends not to sell players in the January transfer window, especially if we are still fighting on all four fronts.

What to read next:

Watt View - The Play off Special
It has been a while, but Matt Watts has taken to the laptop to give his thoughts on the play off win at Wembley and the season in general, as usual it is a very balanced view of the situation and it is good to have him back.
Southampton Considering Move For Wembley Play Off Opponent
A few days ago Joe Rodon had one aim and that was to keep Saints out of the Premier League for next season as he played for Leeds United, but now after returning to his parent club Tottenham Hotspur, it seems that his next move might all be about keeping Southampton in the Premier League.
Saints Can Now Start Planning Their Transfer Strategy For The Premier League
Saints were being linked with several signings ahead of the play offs, but the reality was that although they could do some planning it all had to be done with two what if's, but now with promotion secured they know what path they can follow.
Would Southampton Fans Welcome Back Adam Lallana To St Mary's
After leaving Brighton citing spending more time with his family in Bournemouth as one of the reasons not to pen a new deal, speculation that Adam Lallana might be returning to Southampton was fuelled after he was spotted supporting the club at Wembley on Sunday.
Saints At Wembley 2024 In Pictures
A look at some of the action on the pitch and some of the Southampton supporters off it, can you spot yourself in the crowd, relive all the excitement of perhaps our greatest day out since we beat Manchester United in 1976.
Southampton V Leeds United The Wembley Play Off Final Verdict
No one can argue with the result, nor the performance which was not a typical Southampton game usually seen under Russell Martin, but all in all it is a day that will always be remembered by those present.
Leeds United 0 - 1 Southampton - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
Southampton V Leeds United The Wembley Play off Preview
They call it the biggest money game in the World, Saints are looking to restore the Premier League multi millions to their coffers next season and for many of their fans, that is all there is to be happy about if they win the game.
Matt Le Tissier To Play In Saints Legend Side On Saturday At Totton.
The Saints Legends side that is taking on a Simon Says XI at AFC Totton's Snows Stadium's Stadium on Saturday has been announced and it has a few well known names in it, read on for more details.
Wembley And Southampton FC In Pictures Part 2
In the second part of our pictorial look back at Saints visits to Wembley stadium, we take a look at the modern era and start with the League cup final against Manchester United in 2017.