“One of the best in the world” – Rival boss praises van Dijk signing
By David Gate
A rival Premier League boss has heaped praise on the latest Liverpool signing defender Virgil van Dijk. Read his superlative comments here:
It is rare that a Liverpool move will draw praise and appreciation from a rival Premier League manager but that is what has happened today. Speaking in his pre-match press conference Leicester manager Claude Puel gave effusive support to the Reds’ signing of Virgil van Dijk.
The Foxes are heading to Anfield this weekend to matchup with Liverpool for the third time this season. This is the first time Puel will have taken the reigns against the Reds and he is full of love for their latest transfer:
“He is one of the best defenders in the world and he has all the qualities to become the best. It is fantastic for Liverpool.”
” “He is one of the best defenders in the world and he has all the qualities to become the best. It is fantastic for Liverpool. He can play in different good teams and it is a good reward for him. At the beginning of the season it was difficult for him because he wanted to join another club but now he will find his level. I am happy for him, and happy he can’t play against us!”
Puel does not hold back with his feelings. He rates van Dijk as one of the best in the game with the potential to be the number one defender in the world.
He then went on to list his qualities: power, pace, height, comfortable on the ball & strong character. These are exactly the attributes that Liverpool need for a defense that has been Jekyll and Hyde this season. The Reds have kept 9 clean sheets in their 20 games so far, which is excellent. On the other hand they have conceded 23 goals in the other 11 games. That means when they let one in they inevitably let in more.
Virgil van Dijk will be the first step in fixing that disparity. There will be more transfers incoming according to reports with 6 players on a short list. Two center backs who have been highly linked to the Reds are Manuel Akanji from FC Basel and Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Bilbao.
Next: All of Rafa Benitez' Liverpool signings ranked!
Add those to the summer 2018 addition of Naby Keita and you can see how determined Jurgen Klopp is to rejuvenate the spine of this Liverpool side.