ESPN Journalist Mark Ogden has said that Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk is to blame for his failed move to Liverpool this summer.
The Dutch international handed in a transfer request to the Saints at the beginning of August and has yet to feature for the club this season. This did not influence the Saints into selling however.
Odgen now believes that van Dijk is the one to blame for his transfer not going ahead as it was the player himself who agreed to a new deal at St Mary’s last year. He said, “This shows the market that it is. I suppose he’s the best central defender available who does what he does.
“He would have made Liverpool a better team, I think he would have made Chelsea a better team as well. But he signed a big long-term contract, a six-year contract, last season.
“If you sign a contract like that without a buyout clause, you’re kind of forcing yourself to stay. He’s only got himself to blame really, because you don’t sign a long-term contract and then expect to be sold next summer.”
Van Dijk will now need to turn his focus onto returning to the Southampton first team. Southampton have had to sell many of their great talents over the years such as Dejan Lovren, Sadio Mane, Luke Shaw, Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale and they will not want to be viewed as a feeder club.
