Ian Wright has claimed that Virgil Van Dijk has been an ‘absolutely perfect’ signing for Liverpool compared with Manchester United’s Paul Pogba, as he told Premier League Productions (27/01/22 at 12:10 pm).
In 2016, Man United paid a then-world-record £89 million for Pogba’s talents (BBC Sport), whilst 18 months later, in December 2017, Liverpool put £75 million on the table for Van Dijk (BBC Sport).
It’s fair to say that their days at two of England’s biggest clubs have been pretty contrasting.
In the summer, Pogba might just head for the Old Trafford exit door as a free transfer, and in truth, he might not be much of a miss.
Whereas Van Dijk is one of the shining jewels in Liverpool’s crown and one of the best defenders in world football today.
With the January transfer window open, Wright was talking about the difficulties teams have found in the past to have success in the winter.
And whilst Pogba wasn’t purchased in January, Van Dijk was when he swapped Southampton for Liverpool and Wright lauded what the Dutchman has done.
“You can look at Pogba’s signing,” said Wright. “You look at Pogba, he’s not a six, he’s not an eight and not a ten.
“He is a player we saw when he played for Juventus, on the left, with a very well-balanced midfield and played with freedom. Aaron Ramsey, the same kind of player. He plays with freedom. You need the right players.
“That is where people are buying the wrong type of player without fitting them in. This is where the Virgil van Dijk signing is absolutely perfect.
“That’s why they would have paid another £25 million for him – you look at how Virgil was playing for Celtic, he is playing exactly the same now.
“This is why all of the top teams have missed out on a player that was showing, the fact that he was playing in a league that wasn’t as good as the Premier League, but Liverpool have benefited from it.”
Only days remain before the January transfer window slams shut and Liverpool might just be busy.
Unlike some of their rivals over the years, even during summer windows, they don’t splash the cash in a crazy fashion.
But the Reds have made a move for Porto flyer, Luis Diaz, and if they sign him up then the deal could be worth £38 million (BBC Sport).
With Liverpool needing more depth to cover their star men out wide, this would be a top purchase from the club if they can get it over the line.
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