“Right now, honestly" - William Saliba claims Premier League star is a better defender than Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk
Arsenal centre-back William Saliba recently claimed Manchester City's Ruben Dias has surpassed Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk to become the best defender in the world.
Van Dijk joined Liverpool on January 1, 2018, from Southampton, becoming the world's most expensive defender at the time for £75 million. The 32-year-old made an instant impact, helping the Reds reach the UEFA Champions League final the same season.
Since then, the Netherlands skipper has made 225 appearances across all competitions and won seven trophies with the club, including the Champions League and Premier League.
The Liverpool talisman was also named the 2019 Premier League Player of the Season and became the first defender to win the UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award. Moreover, he nearly won the Ballon d'Or in the same year, finishing second to Lionel Messi.
William Saliba was tasked with ranking the best centre-backs in the world on the Sky Sports YouTube Channel. The Gunners star ranked Dias over Van Dijk and said (via The Boot Room):
“Right now, honestly, it’s Ruben Dias. Normally for me it is Van Dijk he is the best. Over the last four years he was the best in the world, but for me last season it was Ruben Dias, Van Dijk second and then Thiago Silva third."
He added:
“I hope maybe I will be top three next season, but I think maybe they are better than me right now. It’s not good to say they are better, but they are right now better than me but I hope one day I will be better than everyone here.”
While Van Dijk has largely been considered the best defender in the world over the years, Dias has definitely risen as a contender since his arrival at Manchester City in 2020.
The 26-year-old has made 136 appearances across all competitions, winning seven trophies for the Cityzens, including the treble last season. Dias was also named the Premier League Player of the Season in 2021 for his phenomenal debut season.
Liverpool reject £150 million bid for Mohamed Salah: Reports
As per This is Anfield, Liverpool recently rejected a mammoth £150 million bid from Saudi Pro League (SPL) Champions Al-Ittihad for Mohamed Salah.
Al-Ittihad have had a firm interest in signing the Egyptian King all summer following the arrivals of Fabinho, Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante. After weeks of rumors and speculations, the Saudi club formally sent a bid of £100 million, with a further £50 million in add-ons on Thursday, August 31.
Liverpool rejected the bid with the notion of being determined to keep Salah for the 2023-24 season. The 31-year-old is arguably the Reds' most important player, and the Premier League transfer window is now closed, meaning that the Merseysiders wouldn't be able to sign a quality replacement until January.
Al-Ittihad are reportedly unwilling to give up and plan on submitting a £200 million bid in the coming days. The SPL transfer window deadline doesn't close until September 7, giving them ample time to keep trying.