Liverpool must spend £50m on Virgil van Dijk to build an empire

Liverpool should spend it all on Virgil van Dijk.

Since signing for Liverpool in January 2018, Virgil van Dijk has brought tenacity, composure, consistency, and the stingiest defence in the Premier League.

A record fee for a defender at the time, a lot of knowledgeable football folks were scratching their heads wondering: ‘what in hell are Liverpool doing now? That kind of cash for a defender in his mid twenties? Who is this guy?’

Remember? You recall the media, scratching their heads over such a fee for a defender. But it must be clear to anyone paying attention over that span of a season and a half, that with van Dijk, this team are a different animal. Hungry, potent, and at times simply overwhelming.

As the runner-up to Leo Messi for FIFA POTY for 2019, the Dutchman is on every major side’s Christmas wish list. He is the first defender to receive this kind of accolade in over a generation.

He is the sort of player whose influence is readily apparent yet difficult to calculate, as he makes everyone in his defence even better.

Whether Allison between the sticks or Andy Robertson or Trent Alexander-Arnold on the flanks, van Dijk’s composure is contagious and makes these lads look and play ten feet tall.

This kind of leadership cannot be taught.

Indeed, this is about a commanding presence. And Virgil has this in spades. Joe Gomez and Joel Matip have both made great strides in consistency and positional awareness since playing next to the giant Dutchman.

This sort of defensive mindedness begins with him and permeates every other position. From the forwards ball pressing high up on the pitch, to relentless midfield challenges, to Allison between the posts. Everyone is committed to giving 110% to this defensive effort. Before Virgil arrived, this was just not the case.

Jurgen Klopp’s team are taking the International Club Cup treble (a first for an English club) and now poised to ascend to the top of the EPL, the van Dijk purchase seems now in hind sight to be a no-brainer; and makes FSG look like the genius in the room.

Now, let’s take a moment to get into the weeds a bit with some logical speculation about the defender’s future with the Reds.

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It has come to light that Liverpool have proffered a long-term contract worth north of £50m with add ons and bonuses, to lock down the services of the prize defender. It will, conceivably, end his playing career at Liverpool. He is currently 28, with three years left in his current contract. This new deal would see him through til he is 35.

At 28, he is in the prime of his playing years, and could expect to play at his current level for another two or three years. Defenders, tend to play longer, generally speaking. There is no reason to believe he will not still be a huge defensive presence at 33, like Gerard Pique, Jermone Boatang, or Leonardo Bonucci. So here is the question being bandied about at the moment.

Imagine for a moment that you are FSG. You know Barca and Real Madrid, Man United and PSG, and Bayern all want van Dijk and would pay through the nose to acquire his services. You know these clubs, and others, will come calling.

To stave off this onslaught, you attempt to lockdown his contractual obligations by pricing his services so far beyond those other clubs ability to compete financially. The question becomes, is he worth it? Is Virgil van Dijk the player to build Liverpool’s immediate future on?

You (as FSG) just saved yourself some £54m in fees for Timo Werner, do you now go ahead and spend that cash on a player already under contract for another three years? Is this a good gamble? Is he worth the risk? Is the past prologue…in this case?

There has been a lot of talk in recent months about dynasty building at Liverpool. This is a common symptom for the really great sides, ala Man U, Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal; all have had similar speculations about dynasties in the recent past.

If Liverpool are looking to build anything resembling a dynasty, locking down key players to long term contracts must be a priority. A long term agreement with Allison, and Trent Alexander-Arnold would be high on my list. But the very top of that list would rest with Virgil van Dijk.

It is no coincidence that the worn out cliche…defence wins championships; is so worn out.

Because it is true.

If you desire to build a dynasty then you begin with solid, foundational, defence. At this time there is no better central defender to begin the task of empire building with than Virgil van Dijk.

Turns out this isn’t even a close call. He is worth every penny.