'Nonchalant' EPL star was 'not wanted' for £12m before completing world-record transfer
EPL and Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk is arguably the best defender in world football. The towering centre-back joined Liverpool from Southampton in a controversial move for a £75 million fee in 2018, becoming the world's most expensive defender at that time.
In hindsight though, the signing has done wonders for Liverpool. Van Dijk has achieved great heights at Liverpool, constantly performing at a high level. However, there were some doubts around him as to whether he would go on to achieve what he has right now.
"EPL giants' chief scout thought he was too nonchalant."
His former teammate Tim Sparv, who played with the EPL superstar at Groningen admitted in an interview with talkSport that van Dijk's talent was clearly visible.
"You could see he had the potential for sure. You could see he had talent and physical attributes and was good on the ball. You could see, if he worked for it, he could play in a better league."
The 28-year old has gone on to win the Champions League with his EPL club. He also won the PFA Player's Player of the Year in 2019, and it looks like he will be an EPL winner by the end of the current season.
However, the journey has not been easy. Celtic coach John Collins stated that EPL giants Arsenal and Liverpool did not appreciate him as a player.
"Arsenal’s chief scout (Steve Rowley) thought he was too nonchalant. Gary McAllister was the assistant to Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool and I told him I hope you’re going to come and take Virgil, but Brendan didn’t fancy him and didn’t think he was better than what he already had."
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Van Dijk joined Southampton from Celtic for a fee of £13 million, to play under Dutch manager Ronald Koeman in the EPL.
Koeman added that his compatriot made a name for him in Scotland and declared that van Dijk is easily the best defender in world football at the moment.
"In Scotland he learned about playing under pressure and developed faster than we could have imagined. He continued that at Southampton and went up another level. Now he is easily the best defender in the world."
Jurgen Klopp, the current manager of Liverpool, had nothing but praise for the Dutch centre-back.
"He’s so important for us, not only as a player but as a person as well. I couldn’t say a bad word about him even if I wanted to. He’s a different player to the one he was at Southampton."
Van Dijk and Liverpool look set to win the EPL this season, as the Reds are currently 22 points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table.
The centre-back has been a constant presence at the back for his club in the EPL as well as the Champions League.
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